Ride 'em Hard
by XBrokenxDollsX
Summary: F&F!AU. Racing on the tracks is nice and all, but it doesn't give the idea of riding for life, unless you take it to the streets. In the streets, you're not part of the race, but you are also part of the history. /NaLu/Gruvia/Jerza/Gajevy/
1. Chapter 1

I wanted to spend my break watching Fast &amp; Furious movies, but that didn't happen… Then, I thought "What if Fairy Tail had an AU of Fast &amp; Furious? Wouldn't that be cool!"

And now I'm like, god damn it, Kitty, you had one job. The one job of stop making new fanfictions while I have 10 others to do.

I really want to watch Fast &amp; Furious…

=xxx=

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R_i_**d**e '_**e**_m _H_**a**r_**d**_

Chapter One

"Yeah, well, no way in _hell_ I want to stay in this dirty, old dump overnight anyway!" A young, blonde woman yelled with forced anger as the glass door with neon colors slammed at her face. Stomping her foot, Lucy Heartfilia squirmed with a demonic growl as she twirled around and made her way from the bar; muttering curses and profanities under her breath as she went under a streetlight, looking around to see the whole area deserted.

Brown eyes twitched, realizing that there will be no more buses coming this way until morning.

"God _damn it!" _Lucy practically screamed into the night, hearing her shriek echo in the otherwise silent street.

Slumping her backpack on the bench and sitting down next to it with slouched shoulders. Sighing, Lucy propped her head up with both hands and closed her eyes. "I knew I should've brought some cash for a hotel, or something… Stupid fart wanted more than a compliment from a pretty girl," she grouched. "No way would I _ever _go that far for staying inside the bar overnight! I'd rather sleep in the park then take my shirt off, the pervert!."

Opening her eyes, Lucy pouted and looked down to her shoes. Nothing expensive, thank goodness. Just simple, comfortable shoes with a few inches for her height that she would normally wear around during the day. Now that she thought of it, her whole outfit wasn't all that alluring… Skinny jeans and a tanktop with a light sweatshirt on, Lucy couldn't figure out how the owner of the bar would even blush when she asked to stay the night.

"Probably...my boobs," Lucy growled, looking down to her very large breasts with accusation. "Mom was totally right when she said that the women in this family have chests for weapons!" Crossing her arms over her said tools with her black sweatshirt, Lucy whimpered in defeat as she looked off down the street with a longing gaze.

'_I'm not going home,' _she thought with a strong voice, ignoring the very idea of looking at her phone to see if anyone has tried to call her. '_Not going home. No way am I going home...'_

Being twenty years-old, Lucy Heartfilia was raised in the luxury of money since the day she was born to Jude and Layla. That's what it was for her, even after her mother passed away, along with the bonus of having her father try to control every little detail of her life. What she wore, where she went on a daily basis and even being paid to keep herself amused while he went off to work. Although the helpers back at her old home tried to keep her here until things settled between her and her father, Lucy was in too much of a hurry and too angry to stop herself from packing whatever she could into her old school's backpack and leave the estate that felt more like a prison to her.

Lucy never asked to be protected by her father, nor even for his opinion. It was his fault that he pulled her out of college while she wanted to get a degree in writing and journalism. It was her dad who told her she needed to stay home, so she wouldn't get hurt in the streets. He told her that everything and everyone was a danger to the Heartfilia heiress, daughter of one of the wealthiest men alive. It got to be too much for her, actually, with all her life plans and goals to make her life more interesting being taken away by someone who should have encouraged her, and supported her…

'_I'm not going back,' _she thought, clenching her hands tightly to her sweatshirt. '_That's not home… That place is more hell than home.'_

"But…" Lucy's cheeks reddened as she bounced her heel on the pavement, "that still doesn't give me a place to spend the night."

She really didn't have any friends (another joy of having Jude Heartfilia as a father), so she couldn't call anyone and ask to crash on their couch for a night or two. All she really needed was to find a job that can get her enough money to rent out a place…

"_God! What am I suppose to do now?" _she whined, yanking on her blonde hair in stress. "I don't have anything to my name besides _him, _and there's no way I can get anywhere without getting him involved!"

During her little display of childish rant, Lucy faintly heard the low humming of an engine coming near her way. Blinking, Lucy brought her head back to see a deep red car with stylish flames dancing across the paint with only the front passenger door, while it was obvious of the back doors were removed to make more room for the flames and firey stars to decorate upward; tinted windows and spinning wheels slowly made Lucy's eyes widen at the sight. Even though she could only see the side of it, it wasn't hard for Lucy to recognize the brand.

"M-Mitsubishi?" she mumbled quietly.

Lucy stiffened when the passenger window began rolling down, revealing the driver behind the wheel looking her way. It was a boy - or man, probably, around her age - with spiky pink hair and pretty tanned skin. Bangs being pushed up messily by a pair of sunglasses, Lucy was able to see the black eyes looking at her with a raised brow. Around his neck, too, was a checkered white scarf and he was sporting a black tank, revealing killer muscles that no doubt could give the old man back in the bar a run for his money in a fight.

Lucy jumped in her seat when the driver turned off his radio, creating a weird silence between the two. Although the hum of the car was soothing to her. Brown eyes locking to black ones, Lucy waited for him to talk.

"Whad'ya doin'?" he said. His voice was mature, but scratchy with a personality that reminded Lucy of her old classmates back in college.

"U-uhm...excuse me?" Lucy stammered, leaning back on the bench and trying to sneakily grasp her backpack, incase she needs to run for it.

"You know that the buses don't come by here until seven, right?" he went on, taking a peek to his car's radio. "And it's, like...almost two in the morning."

Lucy's stiff face fell to a more annoyed look. "Obviously. I'm not waiting for a bus," she replied with a bit of attitude. That made the driver blink.

"Oh, so you're waiting for a client, then?"

"What! No!" Lucy yelled with flushed cheeks. "I'm _not _a prostitute! Do prostitutes wear hoodies and conceal as much skin as possible?"

"Hey, easy!" the boy raised a hand in defeat to her, waving it off. "I didn't mean it like that, alright? I just don't see chicks like you 'round these parts at this time. You don't look like a hooker to me, okay? How's that?"

"Oh, now you're saying I'm not sexy?" Lucy growled, making him blanch. Sighing, the blonde woman shook her head. "You know what, it doesn't matter. Whatever. I've had a rough night…"

The man blinked and tilted his head curiously at her. "Ya running away from home, or something?"

Lucy sniffed, seeming how much of a silly term it is. "You could say that, I guess," she shrugged sadly, looking to her backpack. "I wouldn't call it 'running away', since it wasn't much of a place to call home in the first place."

"Ahh, so it's difficult. You got a place to stay, right?"

"I wouldn't be sitting here on the bench close to two in the morning, if I had a place to stay now, would I?" Lucy raised a brow at him. She really didn't get why she was talking to his guy with his car (that she will mentally admit that is pretty neat to look at).

"Oi, what are you lookin' at?"

Lucy's eyes snapped back to him, suddenly coming to realization that she was ogling at his sweet ride, even though it was obviously accustomed to his needs and style and a bit clunky for her taste, but still. Her cheeks pinked as she blubbered a moment until she conjured up words. "Uh...ahem. It's just - you know, it's a Mitsubishi Lancer, right? You took the backdoors off, but I can still tell by the handle and lights."

The man nodded, seemingly impressed. "Yeah, it's a two-thousand-two… That's pretty neat, knowing it with the paintjob and stuff," he looked around his interior for a second. "You like driving?"

She shook her head, a shy smile on her lips. "No, but I love cars," she explained. "My mom was big into cars and racing. Not like the American racing, but more like the street-kind, I guess. She would buy tons of car magazines and show me her favorites and let me read her books-! _What am I doing?" _she snapped to herself, slapping her cheeks with her hands. "God, I need to shut up. I need to find a place to stay; I don't have time for-!"

"Hey!"

Lucy snapped her head to the driver, who reached to his other side and unlocked the passenger door with a press of a button. She watched him smile a big, childish grin that would easily be contagious if she was in a happier mood and wink at her. "Hop on in!"

It took Lucy a moment to register, then narrow her eyes at him. "What?"

"You like cars," he gave a thumbs up to her. "If you like cars, you're a pal of mine! You can stay at my place tonight, if you want. I can't leave a woman alone on the streets anyway, but at least you can crash at my spot."

Lucy pursed her lips, looking more cautious by the second. "What do you want in return? Money? A lap dance?"

He responded with a pained expression, shaking his head. "_Nooo," _he pressed, shaking his head harder. "I don't need _anything _from you. You need a place to sleep, and I'm giving you a place to sleep for the night! You seem to like my ride, too, so I can give ya a free ride in the deal."

"But why?" she asked, crossing her arm defensively. "You don't know me, and I don't know you."

He simply shrugged, a smile still planted on his face. "I know what it's like to be homeless and not having a place to go. Besides, you seem like a nice person!"

Lucy thought it over a few times, and then a few more time just to make sure. Since she really has no place to stay, it wouldn't be that bad to stay at someone's house if they offered it to her. He didn't seem to be a serial killer or anything, and if he did try something, she would not hesitate to kick his ass with her shoes.

She broke a window with her shoes once.

Standing up, Lucy grabbed her backpack and stepped closer to the car, looking at him one more time before pulling the door open. Slipping into the car, Lucy was surprised by the warm leather on her back and bottom, the AC giving a relaxing breeze to her face. Closing the door, Lucy placed her backpack on her lap and clasped the buckle in place before glancing her way to the driver.

The man grinned and stuck out his hand. "Name's Natsu Dragneel, by the way. Sorry I didn't tell ya before!"

Lucy tucked a lock of her blonde behind her ear before shaking his hand politely. "I'm Lucy...Heartfilia."

"Lucy!" the guy, Natsu said with a perk and shook her hand with more enthusiasm. "Like that old show, _I Love Lucy? _There's a lot of songs with the name Lucy in it, too, you know? People probably think you're named after the TV character, though, right?"

Lucy's cheeks redden, feeling a silly that Natsu had such an positive attitude with someone they just met - especially with the fact that he was talking about her _first _name. Which, isn't all that bad for her if he did not mentioned anything of her last name at this moment. It was weird, but it also gave Lucy the little feeling of joy at how just a minute ago she was sitting on the bench with no idea what to do, and now she's in a really cool car with this guy.

"Oh! Luce - it's okay if I call you Luce, right?" Natsu caught her attention when her gaze wandered around the interior. The inside walls and leather matched with a deep purple color, the dash black and the little lights of the radio were electric blue and neon red. The steering wheel, Lucy noticed right away, had buttons and lights around the pad - she could tell that most did not belong to the original brand.

"Uhm...sure," Lucy shrugged. She never had a nickname before, unless you counted the maids and butlers and security calling her 'Miss' or 'ma'am'.

Natsu gave her an apologetic smile. "I feel bad, since you may want to hit the hay more than anything right now," he started, licking his lips as his eyes wandered to out the windshield and rocked his head from side to side. "I actually have an appointment, and I'm actually running late. Do you mind tagging along? It won't be long, I promise."

"An appointment?" Lucy blinked. "For what?"

"It's actually a meeting, and I'd probably get my butt kicked by Erza if I'm any later than now," he shrugged. Lucy noticed his fingers drumming on the wheel of the car, as if imagining what is to come when this Erza gets ahold of him.

'_Must be his girlfriend, or sister...' _Lucy thought, watching at how Natsu was mumbling about how he won't be able to sit down for three days. She smiled, nodding to him. "Sure, I don't mind - you're already doing so much to help me out, so I don't mind."

"It won't be long, I promise," Natsu explained as he checked to make sure she had her seatbelt on before changing the gearshift to Drive. "You can toss your bag in the back, if you want. I kept the back seats in, thank God. Had to beg and pay extra for that - Something about lookin' stupid…"

"I think it's pretty neat," Lucy peeped in with a smile. She took hold of her backpack and placed it in the seat behind her, displaying her bag in the back. "See? No one would think to peek back here because it lacks doors. No one will take my bag now!"

Natsu looked to Lucy, then to her back, and back to her again before grinning ear-to-ear. There was a little twinkle in his eyes as he looked to the street, both hands on the wheel and a tiny, tiny snicker slipping from his teeth. Without another word, he put his foot on the gas pedal and took off into the night with a new friend.

And Lucy was not expecting to be pushed back in her seat by the obvious illegal speed Natsu was going.

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Lucy originally thought she was in the shady part of the city.

She takes it back. Natsu brought her to the shadiest part of the city in his cool car. Even though the windows were tinted and no one could see inside the car, Lucy still felt super uncomfortable with odd characters of people walking in the alleyways and beside the cars, yelling and shouting incoherent words that almost sounded like a song or chant.

"N-Natsu…" Lucy's brow twitched as she looked to her 'friend'. He seemed completely relaxed while driving slow with one hand, the other resting on the windowpane of his side, waiting for a crowd of hoody-looking characters crossing the front of the car. "Natsu!"

The salmon-colored hair man blinked and looked her way, completely confused. "What's wrong, Luce? Do you not feel good? You kinda look like you're gonna cry, or some -"

"Where in the _fucking hell _are we, kid?" Lucy snarled, grabbing him by his scarf and pulling for them to be nose-to-nose. Fear and anger written in her face, the blonde not having anymore of this. "Huh? You picking up lonely women and bring them to docks to kill them?"

"What? _No way!" _he said, obviously offended. He gently grasped her wrist and pried her hand to let go of his white-checkered scarf. "Ya make it sound like I'm gonna kill ya, or something! Jesus Christ!"

"Then what are we doing _here?" _Lucy demanded with a jabbing point out the window, more directed to a man with dreads slamming onto Natsu's hood with an excited howl before jumping off. "What is this place, god damn it! Tell me, or I'll call the cops!"

"Luce, calm down!" Natsu said in a hushed voice, turning back to the narrow street and slowly made his way in a much slower pace of the pedal. "Jeez, I didn't think you would freak out over something like this. I thought you said you like cars!"

"I do!" Lucy growled, clenching her fists. "I've seen the movies, though. This is totally bad news! You're going to kill me!"

Natsu rolled his eyes and sighed with a red face, keeping his eyes on the road. "S'ppose I should've explained a bit, huh? You don't need to worry about nothin', Luce. You're safe."

"It doesn't look - !"

"I'm in a race, Luce," he interrupted her, shutting her up quickly. He stole a peek to her disbelief frown. "I'm a racer, 'kay? Figured you'd catch that with my car pretty quickly, but I guess you like those movies, huh?"

When Lucy didn't respond, he went on with a shrug of his shoulder. "It's nothing _dangerous_ for girls like you to be here," he pulled his resting arm up and pointed to a small group of girls wearing revealing clothes and heavy makeup, making the blonde blink in surprise to see pretty young women here at this time of night. "It's underground racing. Have you ever heard of that?"

"You mean," Lucy swallowed and looked out the window with an embarrassed blush on her cheeks, "the _actual_ street racing? Like in those action films? Those are illegal, Natsu!"

This caused the driver to smirk. "That depends on who you ask, Luce."

"B-but, that would mean you're part of a gang, right? No way you would have hot wheels like this on a normal paying job! You gotta be in a gang; you're a gangster and you're doing illegal racing in city streets, aren't you?" Lucy rambled before falling quiet at the sight of Natsu trying to contain his laughter. She twitched. "What the hell is so funny?"

"Do I really look gangster material to you?" he asked with genuine curiosity, turning the car around the corner. "Yeah, I have _one tattoo - " _he jerked his chin to the red ink on his right bicep, which Lucy noticed a weird shape of an insignia. "Maybe a couple of scars and scratches, but do I honestly look like someone who would, like, smuggle drugs and be a pimp?"

Lucy narrowed her eyes at him, and it took Natsu a good minute to register her answer before whining like a child. "Oi, don't be mean like that! Look at this face, Luce, I'm like a puppy!"

"Puppies don't have muscles," Lucy grumbled. "Puppies don't drive a Mitsubishi Lancer with flames and offer a place for a homeless woman like me so innocently and bring her to the docks!"

Natsu thought it over before nodding. "Yeah," he said with a sudden chirp of realization. "Now that ya mention it, it sounds pretty sketchy."

"No shit, Sherlock!"

He grinned, giving her a playful wink. "But, I'm not sketchy, so you don't need to worry about a thing."

"Don't make it sound like it's all okay like that!" Lucy practically screamed, making Natsu pout and continue on driving in silence for a good minute as Lucy crossed her arms. Sitting back in her seat, Lucy refused to look at him anymore, but the silence was bothering her…

"So," she said with a force angry tone, "you're a racer."

"Uh-huh," Natsu responded casually, not looking her way.

"You're not gonna kill me, right?" Lucy's brown eyes narrowed to slits.

She could hear the tiny amusement in his voice. "Nah, I don't have a reason to kill you, Luce. Unless you want to kill me, then I may try to protect myself."

Lucy's shoulders relaxed a little bit, but kept her guard up. She looked at Natsu, her lips pursed. "What gang are you in?"

Natsu tilted his head to the side, as if trying to think of proper words. "It's not much of a _gang, _so to speak. Erza can probably explain it a lot better than me, or Gray, I dunno. It's more of a public statement for us, I guess, being a gang." He clicked his tongue at the idea, as if he wasn't sure.

"So what's this race you're suppose to be doing?" Now her voice held no bitterness, only curiosity.

"It's a recruiting race," Natsu explained, smiling again. "Basically the best drivers from all over race newbies - or wannabee drivers, if you wanna call 'em that - to see if any of them has what it takes to join them. Kinda like a try-outs for sports back in high school."

"I-I see…" Lucy blinked. "So you're a head racer, I guess?"

"Well, sorta," Natsu huffed. "More in-training, but I'm also racing as an S-Class driver! No way that I'm gonna be _trying out. _But this is my first time recruiting drivers with Erza and Gray, so it's gonna be fun!" Pointing out, Natsu made Lucy follow his hand to see rows of cars and herds of people cheering or dancing around. Music blasted from cars or stereos of different songs, making the whole atmosphere alive and bright with neon lights and bright colors.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, Natsu cursed under his breath. "'Cuse me, Luce, I should probably get in contact with them." Pressing a button on his radio, Lucy watched him dial the knob to a certain station, when static sparked from the speakers until voices began to come out clearly.

"Make sure you watch out for windows," a calm woman's voice erupted. "I have no clue what they're going to pull this time since they banished handheld weapons."

"Yeah, yeah," another voice, a male and sounded bored, sighed in response. "Not my first time _driving_, Erza."

"Hey guys!" Natsu called out with a loud grin, making Lucy jump at his sudden excitement. "So, what's happening? Did they go over the rules yet?"

"Natsu!" the woman, Erza, Lucy guessed, snapped.

"Yo, flame-brain," Gray's voice grumbled sourly. "You're a half an hour late, dumbass."

"So what else is new, ice-prick?" Natsu howled back with a childish tone. "But I made it, right? The race hasn't started yet, so I'm all good!"

"I told you to come here at two," Erza said with a sigh. "Remember when I said that the race starts at two-thirty? Do you even remember where to even place yourself, Natsu?"

"In the back," Natsu groaned, his whole body slouching and making Lucy smile. "Keep out of your way and don't do anything stupid to the other S-Class drivers. But if Gray tries to shove me into a ditch again, I'm gonna -!"

"Ya gonna _what, _shithead?" Gray snapped back, making Natsu growl at the radio. "Not my fault you weren't lookin' in your mirrors when I was comin' behind you!"

"You both shut up," Erza hissed, making Lucy see Natsu pale and shut his mouth. With another sigh, the woman's voice collected the two. "Natsu, no interfering with Gray this time. Gray, no trying to cause problems with _anyone _tonight. We're recruiting and Master Makarov wants this to be as clean and easy as possible."

"Got it," Natsu hummed before checking himself out, flipping the tune to a quiet alternative station on a much lower volume. Lucy assumed that Erza and Gray couldn't hear them anymore.

"Who were they?" she asked with a raised brow, meeting his eyes. "Erza's your girlfriend, or something?"

"What? No way," Natsu sniffed with a lopsided smile. "Ya kill me, Luce. No, Erza's more like my _mother _than anything else. Gray's just an ass, but he's a pal of mine. They're both S-Class racers for Makarov."

"Your boss?"

"More like grandpa, in my opinion," Natsu shrugged with that silly grin on his face, making Lucy's chest tighten just a little bit at his happy-go-lucky attitude about his friends. "But, yeah, he assigned me to join Erza and Gray tonight after I begged him for the past six months. We recruit racers twice a year, and give 'em a taste of what the _real _pros do!"

"She...Erza said something about weapons? Handheld ones?" Lucy said with a questionable glance. "What did she mean..?"

Natsu perked and began driving to an open lot, where lines of cars were arranging by guidance from men with bandanas wrapped around their heads. He couldn't help the impish grin on his lips when one with a red bandana beckoned Natsu over to the back rows, where other brightly-colored cars were lined and revving their engines. "Yeah, the point of racing is to not crash or get caught by the cops, so we use measures to take out our opponents. We use stuff like guns, batons, spiked chains and sometimes we tinker with our cars to have _secret weapons. _Ain't that neat?"

"No! You'd get killed, you idiot!" Lucy scolded at his happy snort. "That makes racing, like, three times more dangerous than it already is!"

"And three-times more fun!" Natsu laughed as he stopped his vehicle when instructed by the guy in the bandana, right next to an overly decorated convertible with big wings and over the top decorations. He gave her a smile in return. "It's okay, though. We're not using guns in recruiting races. That'd be unfair to the newbies."

"Oh my God," Lucy shrieked. "I'm gonna die. That's it! I'm gonna die before I can do anything!"

"Oi, oi!" Natsu whined at her, "I've been racing since I was fourteen, Luce! I've never got into an accident. I may have caused a couple bumps on this baby, but nothing too serious!"

Lucy's brown eyes swelled with tears, making the pink haired man stiffen at the sound of her hiccups. "I'm going to _die!"_

"Nah-ah! You're safe with me, Luce. I wouldn't let anything bad happen, I promise!" Natsu pleaded, clapping his palms together as he leaned to her with a pout. "You gotta trust me, okay? Just this race and I _swear _I'll take you anywhere you want - I'll take ya to a hotel, if you want, if you still don't trust me. But after the race! I can't miss my chance after I begged for it! Gramps will hold it against me for years!"

"Why can't we just - ?"

"Hey, hey, everybodyyy!" a voice shouted into a megaphone and stung Lucy's ears. Both looking out of the windshield, Lucy and Natsu saw a blond man with a pointed hairstyle, wearing a pink shirt and shorts bounce on top of a hood of a car. With his megaphone, he created a silence within the crowd, minus some people humming a pleased tune with the rumble of engines. "Listen up, everybodyyy! Let's be cool now and get ready for the race. That's what we're all here for, right?"

When shouts of applause and cheers erupted for a good minute, the blond man raised his free hand to quiet them down a notch. "Cool, cool! C'mon, guys, let the man Jason speak the rules so we can go!" a shout of boos echoed into the air, making Jason nod in understanding. "Yeah, not so cool, right? Don't worry, folks! It's gonna be simple and cool for everyone tonight!"

Lucy watched as the blond man waved his arm in the air, turning the volume up on his megaphone. "Tonight's race is simple, folks! Newbies racin' the S-Class from gangs all over the city and through the city streets! Cops are gonna be lurkin' tonight, ain't that cool, folks? The goal is simple for the newbies: Race the S-Class and don't get caught by the police, don't get into a crash and don't _die! _When you make it past the finish line back here at the docks, the S-Class drivers will pick ya out and take you back to their HQ!"

With a snap of his fingers, a projection of the city map with a neon-light path going all over the city limits were put on the building's wall. Lucy looked at it with a tilt of her head, seeing that the trail...is marked off by blocks and not just by streets.

"W-what is that map?" Lucy asked, looking to see Natsu scan the picture quickly before nodding.

"Races around here don't usually go by streets," he explained. "You can take certain alleyways, parking ramps and anywhere else they put on the map to make it through the race. Most spots are pretty tricky to get through, since we usually set traps along the way. Spike strips are pretty common to stop racers, if you don't have the right wheels."

Lucy blinked sorely when Natsu tilt his head. "I wonder if anyone brought dynamite or bombs this time."

"God damn it…" Lucy exhaled when he smiled at the idea.

The map disappeared from the wall and Jason forced attention back. "Ya got the trail, so stick to the map! Rules are for the newbies to make it to the end, and S-Class gives them everything that they got. No guns on the tracks tonight, folks! Any gunfire from newbies will be shut down by S-Class and S-Class will forced to quit for the night and not pick out recruiters. Easy, right? Cool!"

Natsu gave off a childish snicker and began bouncing in his seat when Jason ordered a clear space. The car he was standing on moved slowly to the sidelines, and Lucy could hear some drivers actually starting their engines. "Drivers, on my mark! Start your cool engines!"

"N-Natsu?"

"I'm all fired up now!" Natsu laughed maniacally, making the blonde woman stiffen at how happy he was behaving. "Can't back down from this now, Luce! I'll keep to my promise for you, so don't you worry!"

"_Natsu!_ No! Let me out -!"

The sound of Jason's megaphone shrieking an alarm set them all off; Lucy screaming at the top of her lungs as Natsu's feet slammed on the gas pedal, as of everyone else beside and ahead of them performed the same ordeal. The screeching of tires of pavement and people cheering at the side set off as racers took off down the lot and up the ramp that led to a tunnel.

Being set in the back gave space between Natsu and Lucy's ride from the other drivers, who steered clear of the Mitsubishi Lancer with flames as Natsu flipped a switch on his steering wheel, and a soft jump of the car made it speed past four drivers that were in the same row at them. Lucy flinched when her bottom fell back on the seat, snapping her head at Natsu with wide eyes.

"The hell is that?" Lucy demanded, hugging herself and trying to shrink in her seat.

"It's just a little extra kick to get started," Natsu grinned at the fierce honks from the drivers he passed. "It only lasts for a moment, but I should be in the middle of the crowd when we get out of the tunnel and into the streets!"

"Shouldn't you steer clear from everyone? You questioned if they had _bombs!" _

"Nah, then that just makes me look like a wimp. Gray would totally get on my ass about it if I played gentle," Natsu shrugged before reaching over and opened the glove box, all while keeping his eyes on the road and steering with one hand. Opening the box, Natsu sat back up and let Lucy see the mass amount of tools inside; hammers, nailed leather, spike strips and chain and so many more unnameable items made her head spin.

"Luce, you wanna pick out something and throw it out?" he asked casually, like he was asking her if she wanted lunch or something.

"What! No!" Lucy screamed at him, trying to move her seat back as far as she could from the exposed glove box. "I'm not gonna take part in your freakin' game! What kind of question is - _What the hell is that?" _Lucy shrieked in horror as she pointed to an incoming light heading towards their window.

"Oh, that's probably Phantom Lord's _bomb," _Natsu said when he noticed it, pushing the speed a little bit more and the blue pipe landed on the hood. Looking closer with a pouted lip, Natsu's eyes widened with a smile perking on his face. "Ah, it has a ghost face on it. It's Juvia-chan's bomb!" He laughed and turned on his wipers, casually pushing the lighted bomb off his car like a leaf. Lucy watched as the blue pipe fall off the car and towards a driver trying to catch up to them…

And the dynamite exploded on the hood of the contestant's car, lighting up the tunnel behind them.

"What the hell!" Lucy shrieked, looking to Natsu and the fire starting in the distance constantly with large eyes. "What was that? How are you not freaked out by that? Oh my God, he's probably dead!"

Natsu shrugged, passing another driver with ease. "It's Juvia-chan's bomb, so it takes a while for it to actually go off," he stated simply. "I think she's in the middle with Gray, or something, but I guess she wanted to take out the weaklings right away this time."

"She threw a _bomb, _you idiot!" Lucy scolded, grabbing Natsu's scarf again and shaking him, yet he was still focused on the tunnel. "She killed someone!"

"Juvia-chan's bombs don't kill anyone, unless they actually make it inside the car," Natsu rolled his eyes. "She just bangs up cars with her bombs, honestly. She wrecks engines really good, now that I think of it - beyond repair sometimes! It's _Gajeel's_ dynamite you wanna watch out for, but I think Juvia took it away from him… Wish she could take Gray's stuff away and give 'em to me."

"Is she part of your gang, too?" Lucy asked, squinting her eyes as she looked ahead, trying to spot out where the dynamite came from.

"Nah, she's not part of Fairy Tail," Natsu huffed. "But she's a kickass driver. She beats Gray a lot in races and it's the funniest shit ever!"

"Hah? Fairy Tail?"

"That's the name of our 'gang', Luce. Fairy Tail!" Natsu smiled as he went up a ramp, suddenly glowing with city lights and flashing cars zipping around the corner into the main street, where some normal vehicles swerved out of the way or crashed into a parked car or pole. "It's a pretty neat place, Luce. It's this old building on the outside but it's totally shiny and new on the inside! Like those secret, undercover building you see in spy movies, you know? Half of it is a auto shop and bar - which I should let you try Mira's burgers. They're _awesome! _\- and the other half was converted into rooms for us to live in, like an apartment!"

"You sound _so relaxed, and you caused, like, fifty crashes!" _Lucy howled him.

"They shouldn't be out around this time, unless they want trouble!" Natsu whined as he twisted the wheels to miss an incoming racer who tried to collide with Natsu's car. "Everyone in this city knows that!"

"Well, I'm not from this city, you idiot!"

"Really? Then I _really _need you to try Mira-chan's burger _with fries!" _Natsu gaped in utter shock, looking her way for a good minute with a haunted stare that made her cringe. "You haven't visited this city until you've eaten Mira-chan's cooking!"

His foot full of lead, Natsu pressed harder on the gas pedal and pushed his car faster. "We gotta finish this race ASAP! You _gotta eat the burger! _I'm hungry now!" Flames were in his eyes as he turned back to the road and past another driver, who jerked his car away and lost control with another one, causing another accident, which didn't affect Lucy this time like the dynamite did.

"You're thinking about _food _at a time like this?" Lucy grumbled and slouched against her seat, arms crossed. "Honestly, it's like talking to a child…"

"Ha!" Natsu laughed. "You'll thank me once you take a bite, Luce!" He dashed through a red light, ignoring how a couple of drivers screeched to a halt. Lucy noticed flashing lights of police cruisers a bit farther back. Swerving to the right, Natsu made into a alley that she hadn't noticed before.

Even after walking for hours in the daytime, exploring the city, Lucy didn't pay much attention to little hiding spots, like alleyways. She blinked at the towering walls of buildings on either side, and at how perfectly Natsu's driving skills were in making sharp turns and not even touching the bricks.

"This alley is on the map, but I haven't seen any traps in it for a long time," Natsu spoke for conversation. "Hey, Luce, what kind of music do ya listen to? We can turn on the tunes, if that will make you feel better!"

Lucy grumbled under her breath, rolling her eyes as he sped around into a more opened street, where he joined back in the group of cars; a light honk took her attention, and Lucy looked to see a blue-colored vehicle ahead of them with icy designs on the fender.

"That's Gray's car," Natsu explained to her, seeing how Lucy's head tilt at the sight.

"An '09 Subaru Impreza..?" she spoke out with a blink. "Impreza WRX STI!"

"Heh, you're really good at telling cars apart, Luce!" Natsu chuckled with amusement. "I like it! See, there's Erza's car over there!" He pointed to an overly-decorated car that reminded Lucy of armor for a knight. "What car is Erza driving, Luce?"

"Toyota Supra," Lucy said matter-of-factly. "I can't tell the year with all that...stuff all over it."

"Yeah, she likes to decorate her ride for every race. I don't know why, her husband doesn't decorate his - it must be a chick thing."

Lucy's eyes narrowed at him with his thought. When she huffed outloud, Natsu stiffened and tried to keep a small smile on his face as he reached over to his radio and turned up the volume. "Oh, look. Music. Heh…"

"Turn left."

Natsu blinked and took a peek to the hardened woman with a raised brow. "Huh? What'cha say, Lucy?"

Raising a pointed finger, Lucy dragged her hand over to an upcoming intersection. "The map said you can take a left over there into that street, where there is a block of alleys. By the sounds of it, everyone is gonna be heading straight, which I think I saw cops there earlier today."

"Really?" Natsu blinked.

Lucy simply shrugged out of mere annoyance. "No one is slowing down, so I doubt anyone is going to -!"

Natsu stomped on his brakes at the light, screeching his tires as he spun his steering wheel to turn the car on it's side. Lucy's side slammed to the door, her face smushed by the window as she muttered curses as they turned left and into a new street, then creeping another sharp turn to the right to enter the alley Lucy was speaking of. With that force, Lucy nearly slipped out of her seat belt and landed on Natsu, yet it didn't stop him from his driving.

"Sorry 'bout that, Luce!" Natsu apologized, yet made no move to push her off, keeping both hands on the wheel. "If I knew I was havin' a passenger, I would've replaced the belts with something more suitable."

Forcing herself to get off, Lucy's arm brushed the knob of the radio station, overhearing the voices of Erza and Gray conversing. "Oi! Where are ya guys?" Natsu said in a cheerful tone.

"Natsu? Where did you go?" Erza asked with genuine surprise in her voice, making Lucy think at how motherly she sounds. "We saw you turn."

"The fuck you goin', tabasco sauce?" Gray shouted at him. "Ya scared of Juvia and Gajeel throwing shit at ya?"

"I ain't scared of your girlfriend, Gray!" Natsu growled back, swerving around the alley and coming to an opened parking lot, where a ramp stood open for him to go, but Natsu stopped his car. "Shit!"

"Juvia's not my - ! What now?" Gray blabbed loudly, and Lucy watched and followed Natsu's peek over the dash. "You crash, or something?"

"No, man, there's spikes! Bigass ones blocking the ramp!" Natsu fumed and slapped his palms on the wheel.

"Most likely Gajeel's spikes," Erza suggested. "Just turn around and go back, Natsu."

"But that'd put be in last place!" Natsu cried, slapping his forehead on his window. Lucy blinked and kept her stare on the spikes. "Where are ya guys, haaah?"

"I'm right behind Gajeel," Erza explained carefully. "I'm about twenty feet and we're about to enter the lot to the docks, and Gray is tied with Juvia behind me as of - Oh, wait."

"_God damn it!" _Gray howled in the distance, a faint noise of tires screeching in the back. "She pierced my car! When did she install a sphere in her backseat? No fair!"

"Juvia is in third now. You okay, Gray?"

"Drive over them, Natsu," Lucy said to him in a confident voice, ignoring Gray's rambles about how unfair it was and Erza stating that she was just doing her job. Silence took over, and Lucy simply sat back and looked to the driver with a cool demeanor. "You can drive over them. They're fake."

"Hah?" Natsu squeaked. "Are ya serious?"

"Your wheels are much more thicker," Lucy stated, crossing her arms. "The spikes there are made of plastic; they won't damage your wheels whatsoever."

"Natsu, who is that in the car with you?" Erza asked, being ignored overall.

Natsu didn't answer as he did as he was told by Lucy, driving over them and hearing little snaps of plastic breaking underneath as he drove over. Eyes widening, a weird, gurgling sound erupted from his throat as he hit the gas and sped up the ramp with full force.

"Natsu, are you even listening to me?" Erza spoke a bit louder out of the radio. "Who is in the car with you, Natsu?"

"Hahaha! You're a genius!" Natsu cheered brightly to Lucy, reaching the top and back into the street that remained empty, but sounds of cars could be heard. This caused the blonde woman to blush a little and look away. "Sorry, Erza, I'll see ya and ice princess in a bit!"

"Natsu, don't you -!" Erza's voice was shut when Natsu changed the dial to a hard rock song and turned up the volume, letting the vibrations spread throughout the car and making Lucy look back to him.

"We got this, Luce!" Natsu cheered and stomped of the gas, swerving around the empty street as he followed the mental map inside his head. Ahead of them, there was a leveled spot of the street came to a dead end, fenced off with simple wired fence. The docks were on the other side of the fence, where it would have been a little bit longer to the finish line.

Lucy blinked and looked to Natsu, who had a hard gaze set ahead. "Natsu…"

He kept up to the speed, no intentions of slowing down or stopping the car, which made her throat feel thick and her heart hammer in her chest. "Natsu, don't you even think about it."

"Hah, I dunno what'cha sayin'," his eyes hardened and a grin stretched across his face. Ohh, the little brat knew what she was saying!

"Natsu!"

"I've been through tougher material, this is nothing!" Natsu laughed brightly as he kept going, making Lucy whimper and cover her eyes with her hands.

However, she peeked through her fingers and watched how Natsu's hands tightened on the wheel as he broke through the wired fence and practically flew to the lower level ground, jerking around within the car. It took him a second to gain control of the wheel and keep on when he caught sight of the cars whizzing past them, then catching back onto the trail just as easily.

Lucy yelped when the glove box clattered on the landing and a few sharp items fell out, her legs curling up to the seat as she complained to the driver who only kept his sights ahead, where he caught sight of two cars. Slipping his right palm to the pad of the wheel, where tons of decorated buttons glowed in the dim light inside the car.

"You're crazy!" Lucy exhaled, and she swore to herself that she didn't laugh in delight of her adrenaline rush. The smile, though, was a lot tougher to hide from him. "You're an idiot!"

"That's why you're a genius, Luce!" Natsu chuckled cheerfully, jutting a thumb behind them before putting it back on the pad. "Take a look at where we are! Oh? Hey! That's Erza and Gajeel up there, Luce!"

Lucy dared to take a peek and see the remaining contestants' headlights blaring at them at top speed, making her jaw drop. "So...that means we're third?"

"Probably," Natsu grinned, flipping open a cover for a red button to light up. "Let's see if we can catch up to them."

"What?" Lucy sat back.

"_Fuel is ready," _a robotic voice erupted from the radio, stopping the music completely. "_Please press the button to ignite."_

"Ignite? Ignite _what?" _Lucy shivered.

"My secret weapon, Luce! Watch this!" the young man sang as he slammed his thumb on the button, an odd noise of what seemed like a click or pop triggered something under the hood and dash and a zipping through the whole car to the back...and then a rumble. "You should hang on to something!" he cooed in an excited voice, making Lucy flinch.

"To _what?" _she seethed.

She wasn't ready, but she did hang on to something. And that something just had to be Natsu, since he doesn't seem to be struggling to hold himself in place.

Both her arms and a leg wrapped around him, Lucy in no terms held back her scream as she felt her insides lift from the immense speed of the roller coaster. It blew her mind, her gut and probably Natsu's eardrums at the volume of her scream as time seemed to be in his control, and space did not matter anymore.

Her heart stilled, eyes relaxing as she slowly fell silent and watched in the rearview mirror of Natsu's expression. It stunned her, really, at how he looked. His dark eyes opened and focused with the determination of someone who has _worked _in his life; his jaw tight and the small sight of his upper teeth biting his lower lip as he gripped the wheel so tightly that his tanned hands bleached at the knuckles and joints of his fingers. Brows furrowed and shoulders hunched to the point that his muscles rippled under his skin, Lucy saw someone completely different from the guy who rolled down his window when she sat on the bus bench.

It seemed different for her now. Instead of fearing for her life and looking around at the true power and amazing feel of her heart becoming part of the car, too, Lucy could breathe fresh air. Air that wasn't like when you take a step outside…

Not the air of going away from polluted cities and into the countryside…

Not the scent of the beach, the smell of freshly cleaned laundry, flowers, baked sweets…

Lucy inhaled and exhaled, her nerves relaxing and all the troubles she previously thought were erased as she tasted the air with a soft breath. Blinking, Lucy unconsciously rest her head on top of Natsu's hair, her eyes softening as they passed between the two cars with ease.

'_It's like...when Mom was alive,' _Lucy thought softly, changing her gaze to the sight of the crowd of people growing at each second she could conjure in her mind. '_When we use to run in the hallways back at the manor and pretend to race...'_

Blame it on her senses being heightened by her adrenaline rush, or even herself going crazy, but Lucy swore that it smelled and _felt _like home.

"_AND THE SALAMANDER HAS WON!"_

Time reverted back to its place, bringing Lucy's attention to the present as she realized that Natsu's car slowed down to a stop. Slipping back to her seat, Lucy looked out of the tinted window to see Jason screaming into the megaphone with wide eyes; people crowding around the car, slamming their hands onto the car and windows and cheering at the top of their lungs as everything came together.

"Oh...you won, Natsu," Lucy spoke quietly. "Do you go by Sand Blaster..? No, it's Salamander, right? It's like the lizard! Ohh, they're kinda creepy, but cute at the same time!" Lucy laughed lightly at the little memory of seeing them in a book and thinking at how adorable and silly they looked. "Is that really your...street name..? Natsu, you okay?"

Her driver - Wait, _the _driver, had his hands hovering above the wheel, where they had only moments ago held on for dear life. His face, too, looked to be more in shock and utter disbelief as he stared at his hands. Jaw dropped and cheek twitching, Natsu shakingly turned his head to look at Lucy.

"Natsu, what's wrong? You look like you're going to pop," Lucy blinked and leaned away from him. "Did I hold on too tight? I didn't hurt you, did I?"

He said something then, but Lucy couldn't hear a single word he said. She leaned her head to him, trying to hear a bit better. "What did you say? Speak up a little, Natsu…"

"I won…?" he whispered, but she could hear it this time. Barely, but still, she could hear him a lot better. "I won? Did I just _win _the race?"

"Uhm, yeah, you did," she nodded to him, now just as confused as he is.

Natsu's head turned back, blinking a few times and Lucy swore that tears were starting. "I can't believe it…"

"What's wrong?"

"I won…" Natsu smiled, his eyes shiny with a little shake of a giggle in the back of his throat. "I won my first race."

"Huh?" Lucy blinked. "What do you mean by that? I thought you raced a lot before tonight!"

"Yeah, but...this is my first race that I've actually won, or even placed as top three, Lucy!" he said softly, his brows creasing and frowning for a second. A dry laugh barked out of his mouth as he suddenly grinned even bigger than before. Dark eyes snapped to Lucy, bright and cheerful, like a child.

Kinda like when Lucy was a kid, and it made her chest tighten on the inside.

Their eyes held, and Lucy could feel the excitement on the outside. But, inside the car, just the two of them was much more quiet and calm. Still feeling the joy, but this was much more different to Lucy.

"I won my first race," he exhaled. "I won because of you! I officially recruit you to Fairy Tail, Lucy!"

Wait, what?

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=xxx=

AUTHOR'S ENDING NOTE - I never really wrote about races before, but this was very fun to write nonetheless. If you enjoyed this chapter, please feel free to Review, Follow or Favorite. Any of the sort motivates me to keep working.

Be happy and healthy, babehz c: I love you all!


	2. Chapter 2

It's hilarious thinking that Natsu gets motion sickness...and here I am writing him driving over the speed limits with a dorky smile on his face.

God damn.

=xxx=

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R_i_**d**e '_**e**_m _H_**a**r_**d**_

Chapter Two

It wasn't far from the city, actually.

An old industrial factory that was long abandoned for more than fifty years, built from bricks in the middle of a boring, shriveling field, it gave itself a space that appeared to be stuck in time from the always-changing city. You had a wonderful view of the skyscrapers, lights of advertisement and people still awake to play around from the opened doors that would have once let trucks, tractors and crowd of men through to work. However, despite it's older and more mature outside, the inside was pristine and shiny with metal and neon lights once you peeked through the garage doors.

White floors and light up walls that promoted the sun in the night, Fairy Tail's garage was more of a heaven within it's doors and the people and cars that lived within. The large space served as a garage and social spot for its members, included with a stretch of a table in the corner that had drinks and menu signs against the wall, and a bridge stood to seal off from the shop itself. Three car beds were on the other side of the wall from the bar, and the mechanics had their tables and tool chests at hand and a red, plastic curtain to shield off the welding sparks that would harm one's eyesight.

A rumbling noise caught the attention of the occupants currently inside the garage, some heads turned to see approaching lights of a familiar car coming their way at high speed. Others ignored the noise and continued on with welding with masks on or under the hood of a car on their backs. The screeching of brakes hitting close to home, the Mitsubishi Lancer with flames came to a rough stop and slowly let itself inside the garage into a parking spot.

The driver door swung open, and a pink haired man leapt out, dropping his glasses back into his seat. With the energy of a hyperactive brat on a sugar high, Natsu scrambled through the slippery floor and crashed himself to the bar, hitting his gut from the impact.

"Mira! _Miraaa!" _he called out as loud as he could, cupping his hands around his mouth to amplify the volume. "Mira, I need two burgers and fries pronto! And don't be too shy on your secret sauce, either!"

From the bar's curtain that separated the kitchen from view, a woman with white hair cascading down her back peeked out from inside. Blinking, blue eyes found Natsu jumping onto a stool with a giddy smile on his face. Stepping out, the woman was dressed in a pink corset top and black jeans, her feet decorated in simple sandals as she went closer to the driver.

"Natsu, what have I said about eating so much at this time?" Mirajane chided softly, putting her hands on her hips. "Especially if you're going to bed soon."

"But it's a celebration, Mira!" Natsu shouted out, throwing his hands in the air. "I won my first race, and I recruited someone!" Spinning around in the stool, Natsu faced back to his car, where the driver's door was still opened. "Luce, come on out! Mira's gonna make that burger I was talkin' about!"

People paid more attention when the passenger door slowly popped open, and Lucy slipped out with her backpack in hand. Trying to play it cool, she closed the door and refused to meet anyone's eye as she scurried pretty quickly to the bar and joined Natsu's side.

"S-stop shouting, please," Lucy hissed under her breath, her cheeks bright red in embarrassment. Hearing footsteps coming up, her nerves prickled as she let Natsu pick her up and set her on the seat next to him, his muscular arm wrapping around her and patting her shivering shoulder. "Are you always this loud..?"

Mirajane blinked before smiling sweetly to the nervous woman. Her head tilting, she placed her hands on the bar table and leaned to speak softly to Lucy. "Hello there, sweetheart," she said with a polite smile. "My name is Mirajane. It's nice to meet you."

Lucy flushed even deeper as she met the other woman's pretty face, biting her lip as she refused to speak. This caused Mirajane to giggle at the sight. "No need to be shy, sweetheart. No one is going to hurt you," she explained as she stood back up. "So, what place did you make? Where's your car?"

"No, no, Miraaa!" Natsu waved his hands to the white-haired lady. "Luce placed first with me! She was my passenger, you see, and she helped me win the race - I beat Erza _and _Gajeel, thanks to her!"

"Shush, Natsu!" Lucy elbowed him in the ribs, making him wince and rub the spot. Pulling her hood over her blonde hair, Lucy tried to shrink herself as much as possible and focused on the pattern on the wooden table. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Natsu won?" another voice erupted behind her. It was a man, she could tell, and probably really, really tall and dangerous. This was a gang, for Christ's sake!

"Wow, you did? Congrats, Natsu!" a cheery, feminine voice came up, making Lucy freeze. "That's wonderful, Natsu! What place did you make?"

Jutting up his pointer finger high in the air, Natsu spun himself around in his seat a few times with a stupid grin on his face. "I got _first place, _man! I beat Erza and that jackass Gray! Even Gajeel, man you shoulda been there, guys!"

"I'll go make you a _small _burger," Mirajane said with a sweet smile. "For the both of you, but no fries tonight. You can have them after you've slept and drank lots of water." Lucy watched the beautiful woman walk away and back through the curtain.

Lucy let out a yelp when Natsu purposefully spun her chair and made her face the people behind her. A tiny crowd surrounded the two, lots of men and women of size and shapes looked at her with interest, making her shake hard; Natsu wrapped his arm around her again in a friendly hug, using his free hand to gesture to the crowd.

"Guys, this is my new partner, Lucy Heartfilia!" he announced with a proud voice, his cheek pressing against her boiling one. "Whoa, Luce. You okay? You feel like ya got a fever!"

"Lemme go!" Lucy whine as she pushed his face away, even though he kept his arm around her. "I didn't agree to anything, you idiot!"

"Luce, this is our head mechanic, Levy McGarden. She's probably the smartest mechanic I've ever met," Natsu pointed to one of the girls, who was somewhat small in height and had choppy blue hair pulled back in a yellow ribbon. She wore a mechanic suit, yet had the sleeves wrapped around her waist, leaving her in a orange crop-top. There was tiny smudges of dirt and oil on her skin, but she was obviously a ball of sunshine.

Levy waved with her free hand, since the other was holding two wrenches. "Hey there," she said with a friendly smile. "Nice to see Natsu bringing a girl home and not someone's dog this time."

"Oi, oi! Don't tell her that!" Natsu whined before pointing behind her, where two taller men that were equally, if not more dirty than the short woman stood dutifully behind her. "Those guys are Jet and Droy, Levy's assistants; they're brothers, I think. I never really bothered to remember…"

Before the two could correct Natsu, he moved on to the next. "That there is Elfman and Lisanna," he pointed to a very buff man and tiny woman, who both had white hair. "They're Mira's younger siblings. Lisanna helps out with Mirajane sometimes, and Elfman is a mechanic, too."

Moving to a clutter of guys and a girl, Natsu pointed each one out carefully. "The dude with the fancy coat is Freed Justine. He used to be a gambler and scammed a shitload of casinos back in the day," he snickered when Freed narrowed his eyes at him. "That's Gildart there," he went on to a burly man with slicked back hair, then to a curvy, tanned woman with her brown hair tangled in a messy bun. "And, that's his daughter, Cana. They both race together, kinda like what you and I did, and Cana is around our age but drinks a lot!"

"Watch it, lizard boy," Cana warned with a raise brow, yet not too threatening when she crossed her arms. It was like she had nothing to defend on with his statement.

"Those two are Macaro and Wakaba," Natsu went on down the line, stopping at a man who had a toothpick in his mouth and another with an unlit cigar. "Macaro has a little kid name Romeo, but I bet he's asleep right now, so I'll introduce him to you later. There is Azlack and Bisca Connell. They're both pretty neat people, but they always take too long with jobs Makarov gives them."

The couple shrugged, as if it wasn't a big of a deal, and Natsu blinked. "Speaking of the old man, where is Gramps?" he asked, head whipping left and right.

"In his office with Jellal," Levy explained. "They were waiting for Erza's call when the race was over. Why are you back so early anyway, Natsu?"

The pink-haired man grinned and pointed to Lucy, who flushed and glared at him. "I already got someone I wanted to recruit. This is Lucy Heartfilia, guys!"

"Heartfilia?" Cana blinked, looking to Lucy with a raised brow. "Why does that… Oh!" she snapped her fingers and grinned to the blonde woman, who frowned in response. "You're Jude Heartfilia's kid, aren't you? Yeah, you look like your mom! I was a _huge _fan of your mom's clothing line, and your dad is pretty famous, too!"

"Hah?" Natsu blinked and looked to Lucy with absolute confusion. "Ya mean the guy who owns the trading company, and is basically the richest man alive?"

"Fourth richest," Cana corrected, pointing to Lucy with a gleam in her violet eyes. "No doubt about it. She looks exactly like Layla; I've collected magazines and clippings of her work and photos of her. Natsu, you picked yourself a princess! Where'd you find her?"

"By the bus stop, on my way to the race," he answered, still looking at Lucy. Her bangs covered her eyes as she wrapped her arms around herself, not speaking a word. "Luce, is it true? What happened?"

Lucy only turned her seat around and faced the bar, where Mirajane was holding plastic baskets with their burgers in them. Mira met Lucy's eyes and saw how stiff and upset she looked, and offered a tiny smile before looking up to the crowd with a tilt of her head.

"Why don't you guys give Lucy space, hm? I bet she's hungry from the race," she said in a sweet tone, but everyone knew better at Mirajane's voice that they better listen. Everyone dispersed and left the bar quietly, allowing Natsu to watch before turning back and had his meal placed infront of them.

"It's nice and hot," Mirajane said sweetly after releasing the baskets. "I'll go get you two some cold water. Natsu, don't try to shove the whole thing in again while I'm gone," she instructed before going back and leaving the two alone at the bar.

Natsu glanced to Lucy, who didn't touch her food and he followed her. Swallowing a little, Natsu tried to meet her eyes and was met with her wrapping her sweatshirt tighter around herself. "Hey, Luce...I'm sorry if I did something wrong. I didn't know you were related to Jude Heartfilia."

"I actually prefered it if you didn't," she whispered, picking at the plastic with her pinky finger. "Remember when you guessed that I ran away? My life...was just controlled by my dad. I wanted to go to college and live my life, but he sheltered me and treated me more like an employee than his own daughter."

Natsu kept silent, but he pressed a warm hand on her back, his thumb rubbing gently as if to try and relax her. "Everything has to do with my dad, even my own _name _is associated with him and I hated it," she exhaled shakingly, putting her elbows on the table and rubbing her face. "He sent word back home, since he's overseas on a business trip, about how he met his partner's family and thought it would be in _my best interest _to arrange a marriage. Basically, I packed my backpack with whatever I could fit," she squeezed her backpack, keeping her shakes down. "I left a note for the housekeepers to give him when he came back, and left. I have no fucking idea what I'm going to do, but anything would be better than living another second in that cage…"

"Luce, I didn't mean to bring you here," Natsu said calmly, his hand sliding up to hold her shoulder. He could tell she was holding back tears, so he gently used his other hand to grab a napkin Mirajane put with their meal and dap her cheeks to catch them when she blinked. "Incase you haven't noticed, I'm the kind that acts without thinking, but I definitely didn't want to leave you on that bus stop."

She sniffed and shakingly reached for her burger. Inspecting it for a good moment, Lucy swallowed a hiccup and took a large bite of the food. He grinned, pleased to see her eating. "But, if you don't mind me saying, I think it was a great thing to have found you," he said. "Maybe it was destiny, or something. Maybe it was meant to happen for me to pick you up and bring you to the race with me; Hell, you even helped me win my first race, and I've been racing since I was younger and _never _placed before until I met you!"

Lucy gulped down her bite and took the napkin on her basket to wipe her nose, and Natsu still dried her tears for her like a parent to a child. "But you don't need to worry about a thing right now, okay? Luce is makin' choices for _Lucy _now, not her dad."

Mirajane came back with two tall glasses of water and ice. Settling them down, the woman knelt to their level and rest her cheek on her palm. "I suppose Natsu tried to tell you about Fairy Tail?"

Lucy shrugged, not very comfortable about speaking as she is right now. Natsu waved his hand in a 'sort of' motion to Mirajane, who giggled at the answer. "Well, you may have originally thought we were a gang," she started, "which, we are in some way. But, we're actually not like those gangs who rob and steal and murder…"

"Y-you're not?" Lucy gurgled before taking another bite of her burger and sniffed. Mirajane smiled bigger and shook her head.

"The real story is that we work for the big guys," Mirajane sang out. "The police department, FBI, CIA - you name it, we are racers who work underground to track down the bad guys and take them down. For Fairy Tail, we recruit unprivileged individuals and try to turn their life around by taking them in to the department, or work with us to pay off your past mistakes. Like me, for example, and my siblings.

"Our parents were great to us. Very loving and always supported us, but they had big troubles financially and made some very bad choices," she went on, not minding Lucy's reaction with a full mouth. "They robbed people and small companies, even stealing identities and even used our names to get money in fake ones, and it caused me and my baby brother and sister to grow a record since we were born. They were caught and arrested when I was sixteen, but we were also in trouble with the law, even though we didn't do anything.

"They gave me and my siblings a choice to either go to juvenile confinement, which would have separated us for a long time - or join Fairy Tail and be raised by Master Makarov to slowly erase our records." Mirajane pointed out to Natsu to start eating, which he obeyed automatically. "I learned how to race, while my brother learned mechanics and we both raced as S-Class and took jobs of catching bad guys. I don't race anymore, but I dedicate my life here to rebuild a new one for myself and my siblings, since we can never be with our parents ever again."

"Oh...I…" Lucy mumbled softly, unsure of what to say.

"Fairy Tail is a second chance in life, to put it simply," Mirajane as she gently pat Lucy's hooded head. "It's like you can start a new identity here, and everyone here is willing to accept you with open arms as long as you try your best. That's all we can ever ask of you."

"Very good, Mira. Although, it does not surprise me at how well you explain," a voice startled Lucy and she spun her head and saw a short, elderly man stand with his arms behind him. White hair and a mustache, the old man hobbled up to the bar and climbed up to the table, sitting down next to Natsu and crossing his legs. Following him was a tall, much younger man with blue hair and a maroon tattoo over his face stood and nodded in greeting to Natsu and Mirajane.

"Hey, Gramps," Natsu smiled brightly to the old man. "Did ya hear? I won the race!"

"Yes, Erza had a lot to say 'bout that," Makarov nodded. "Which reminds me, she's not too happy about you taking off right after…"

"Sorry," Natsu brushed off. "I had to get Luce here a taste of Mira's grilling. Ya know you haven't been to the city unless you had a bite of Mirajane's cooking!"

"You give me too much credit…" Mirajane rolled her eyes, an amused smile on her face.

The old man leaned back and took a look at Lucy, who wiped ketchup off the corner of her lips and cleared her throat. With the sleeve of her hoodie, she tried to catch anything she or Natsu had missed with the napkins. "Hmm, you must be the one Erza was yammering 'bout. Something about a girl's voice bossing Natsu around on the radio," he grinned at Lucy's reddening cheeks.

"I-I...I didn't mean to sound _bossy," _she stammered, putting the little chunk left of her burger back on her basket. "I was… Uhm, I'm sorry. My name is -!"

"Lucy Heartfilia, yes," Makarov smiled politely and held out a small hand for her to shake. Lucy had to reach over Natsu chowing down to lightly greet in return. "Cana was talking to Levy about you, and I overheard. Cana is a fan of your mother's fashion line, and she is right when to say that you look a lot like her."

Lucy blushed and couldn't meet his eyes. "U-uhm…"

"But," the old man pressed with a single nod, "Cana also understands that you're uncomfortable as of right now, and she respects that. Believe me, she's not the type to be a fangirl when she sees someone remotely related to a celebrity she likes."

"I-it's not that, uhm," Lucy twiddled with her thumbs shyly. "It's just...a lot to take in for me."

"It has been a rather long night, no?" Makarov nodded in agreement, looking at Natsu who finished his burger and all his water quickly. Squinting, the old man shook his head at the younger one's manners. "Especially when driving in the same car as this kid here," he jerked a thumb at Natsu, who blinked and hummed questionably with his mouth filled. "You must be tired, Miss Lucy. You should rest up and we will take you to a hotel in the city in the morning, if that will make you feel better."

"Huh?" Lucy's head shot up.

Makarov shrugged his shoulders, but his smile never faltered. "We're not gonna force a young woman such as yourself to stay here against your will. That sounds rather harsh, if you ask me," he chuckled and stroked his mustache. "From what I heard, Natsu here picked you up from the bus stop and offered you a place to stay for the night. I knew I taught him something well."

"Oi, Gramps! You didn't teach me that!" Natsu shouted after swallowing all the contents down. "Erza had to pound it into me!"

However, Makarov ignored him completely. "Besides, we give recruiters a choice once coming here," he said pointedly. "If you have a criminal record of some sort, you can either join us or be taken to jail to serve your time. You haven't got a record, do you?"

"No," Lucy said honestly. '_Haven't really been out to even cause a record, let alone a ticket...'_

"Then you really have no business to be in Fairy Tail," Makarov concluded, standing up to the seat and hopping down without any help. "You rest for the night, and we will drop you off wherever you want in the morning."

"W-wait…" Lucy whispered at the sight of Makarov leaving. When he didn't respond, Lucy jumped off of her seat, hands clenched and standing tall. "Hey, _wait!"_

The blue haired man blinked at her and then glanced down to the old man who stopped walking away. Lucy could feel Natsu's eyes wide and staring at her in surprise, and maybe everyone else who heard her yell angrily was watching too, but she couldn't care right now.

"Mirajane said that Fairy Tail gives second chances, right?" Lucy spoke in a strong voice, yet it felt dry from her previous tears and silent sobs. "Start a new identity - that's what she said. So, is it true?"

Makarov looked over his shoulder with an unreadable expression. Natsu gulped and turned around in his seat towards Lucy. "Uhm, Luce…"

"I left the place I was born into and practically trapped in for twenty years," Lucy announced, a stomp of her foot on the shiny floor. "I left that place because I hated the _identity _I was raised with under my father's control. It wasn't my life, and it was something I knew I couldn't live with for the rest of it, so I left with whatever I could fit in my backpack and refuse to look back!"

Turning halfway, Makarov raised a busy brow at her. "What is it you're trying to say to me, Miss Lucy?"

"I'm telling you that I want a second chance in _life," _Lucy said strongly, no falter or hesitation. "I want to erase what the old Lucy Heartfilia was and make her into someone else. That was Lucy Heartfilia, the daughter of the Heartfilia Company and she doesn't exist anymore to me. I want to be _Lucy Heartfilia, _just _Lucy! _I don't know why, but...Fairy Tail can make me just _Lucy. _I want to join Fairy Tail!"

Makarov and Lucy held their gazes for a long moment, silence taking over the whole garage. No sound of tools, voices or music could be heard in the eerie stretch of waiting for something to happen. Lucy's body didn't fall, nor did the determined sparkle in her brown eyes dimmed when she held her ground to the short, old man…

Slowly, Makarov's mustache curled with his smile growing underneath. Closing his eyes, he turned around and resumed his walking, having the blue haired man follow silently.

Blinking, Lucy became confused. "Wait...what -?"

"You are already a member of Fairy Tail, _Lucy," _Makarov interrupted her before she could take a step to stop him. "Welcome to the family. Your work starts when you and Natsu wake up!"

The two men walked out of sight, leaving Lucy flabbergasted and confused. Her cheeks went bright red as she slowly turned around to Natsu, who only blinked and looked at her just as confused as she is. A giggle from Mirajane made their heads snap over to the white haired woman, who winked at Lucy playfully.

"You can bunk with Natsu, since it seems like you two are friends," Mirajane instructed, glancing over to the young man. "Treat Lucy as a guest, Natsu. Until we finalized Lucy's profile here, make sure she's comfortable on her first night here."

Breaking into a grin, Natsu chuckled and looked to Lucy. "How's that sound, Luce? Wanna be roomies with me? I promise I don't bite."

That weird feeling in her chest came again. Not as intense as it was when she raced with Natsu, but more softer and gentle...and it felt nice. It couldn't keep the genuine smile from spreading on her face as she nodded to him. "Yeah!"

Through a doorway beside the large garage was an elevator that went up a few stories to the living quarters of Fairy Tail. From what Lucy understood from Natsu, it was like apartments for all the official members of their gang; each apartment would have either one or two bedrooms, a large bathroom and kitchen and a living room quarters, and possibly a balcony if you were bunked in special rooms.

"I don't have a big balcony like Erza, Mirajane and Laxus," Natsu said as he guided her down the rugged hallway. "But it's still something - Gray doesn't have a balcony, so I guess you got lucky! Although...I don't have two bedrooms. You can have the bed and I can take the couch."

"Are you sure..?" Lucy raised a brow at him when he stopped at a door decorated with specific car posters and silly doodles of dragons and lizards. No doubt Natsu's room. She watched him fish out keys from his pockets. "I don't mind taking the couch."

"Mira said I gotta treat ya like a guest, Luce," Natsu smiled at her. "To tell you the truth, Mira is one of the people here I don't want to disobey. Erza is still number one, but Mira is still scary. Her race name was the She-Devil, you know?"

"Really? But she seems so nice and sweet!" Lucy gaped. She tried to think of Mirajane being evil and trying to throw bombs to other drivers and laughing like a maniac.

"She took racing super seriously," Natsu explained, picking out a specific key from his collection. "When she was younger, she had a bad temper and would fight with Erza on a daily basis over everything. She grew out of it, thank God, and she retired when turned twenty and paid off all her crime in her and her siblings' name, but decided to stay here and get engaged with Gramp's grandson, Laxus."

"Oh...I suppose I'm happy to see Mirajane now, than before," Lucy smiled wearily.

"Yup!" Natsu grinned as he unlocked the door knob. Opening it and flipping on the light beside him, the pink haired man stepped in and held the door for her. "Come on in, Luce. You're gonna have to forgive me about the mess...I wasn't expecting company."

"That's…"

Lucy only took one step inside to see the whole place trashed. Clothes, magazines, movie boxes, video games… cardboard boxes, car parts and even a tire. Brown eyes scanned what she assumed to be the living room and the kitchen connected to it were just...trashed. However, since it was a young adult man living here, Lucy figured that this was considered normal in the real world.

Natsu seemed to notice this and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah…" he offered a lopsided smile, but still obviously embarrassed at the sight. "If Gramps lets us off early, I'll get to cleaning right away. I'll ask Erza to borrow her duster-thingy and the thing that...cleans the floor."

"You mean a mop?" Lucy quirked a brow. A sad smile stretched on her face as she took off her backpack from her shoulders, holding it by the straps. "I can help out, too, if you want, Natsu. It can pay back for letting me stay here."

"But you're living here now, so it's fine! Ya don't need to do anything around here," he waved his hands and began kicking things out of her way, making a path. "I made the mess anyway, so it's only fair if I pick it up, right?"

Lucy rolled her eyes at his behavior and shrugged it off. She simply stood there, waiting until Natsu could give an idea of what to do, since she really didn't want to impose on his attempt to try and make an impression.

'_Although...his driving did that for the most part,' _she reminded herself with a twitch of her brow. How could Lucy forget the racing with the bombs and jumping through things, and all that interesting stuff. Looking at the engine part next to her feet, Lucy wondered that Natsu would do with all these little parts, and the tire over by the couch.

"Ahh, here. You probably want to change and go to bed, right? The bedroom is there!" Natsu pointed to a closed door, and Lucy went over and opened it. He snuck to her side and flipped the light open, and Lucy was impressed that the bedroom was actually very organized (even though the bed was made very lazily, she could tell, there wasn't a lot of junk in here). A few magazines flopped on the floor and the dresser had paper and photos piled on it, it was a lot better to look at than the rest of the living quarters.

"I don't sleep in here all that much, but the sheets should be clean - I changed them a day or two ago," Natsu explained before looking to the blonde woman. "Do you have pajamas with you? Your backpack seems a little small and a bit clunky when you hit me with it on the way to the garage."

Yes, Lucy had smacked Natsu with her backpack on the ride here when he asked her if she could pick up the fallen items from the glove box. She didn't, but Natsu didn't pressure her when she smacked his head with her backpack and called him crazy.

Lifting her bag to her level, Lucy realized that she most likely packed her day clothes and underwear and socks. "Uhm…"

"That's okay!" Natsu grinned and went over to the dresser. Pulling a drawer open, Natsu slipped out a red t-shirt that would fit him, but most likely be a bit large for Lucy's less-muscular and slimmer body. "Would this be okay, Lucy? I can try to find some sweats, too, but it might sag a bit."

"It's okay for now," Lucy smiled, taking the shirt from him and looking at the print on the shirt. "I'm pretty sure I have sweatpants on me."

"Okay, okay!" Natsu nodded understandingly and scurried over to the closet, forcing himself into the pile of blankets and pillows and shoes. Lucy watched with an amused look while Natsu grumbled before pulling out a comforter and a pillow. A victorious grin was plastered on his face as he held the tangled mess with both hands, his cheeks bubbling at how large his smile was.

"I'm gonna be a marshmallow taco," he announced proudly, like a child with an amazing plan. "Or, or like an onigiri, right? I'll be wrapped in rice and have jelly in the middle - that'd be me, Luce! Jeez, now I'm hungry again. I want Mira-chan to make me fries…they're really good, too. It's not the same without the fries and burger together."

Lucy's lips went to a firm line and her eyes looked away from him and down to her feet. "Hey, Natsu…"

The man noticed her change in body language and tilted his head to her. He waited for the blonde woman to breathe and look back up to him, a small smile returning to her face as she met his eyes. "You were right about the burger, Natsu. Mira's cooking is amazing."

Blinking, Natsu tilt his head to the other side, seeming unable to understand her. She smiled a bit bigger to him. "Thanks, Natsu."

"For what?" Natsu asked, oblivious.

"For finding me, and bringing me here," she explained simply, hugging her bag and shirt close to her chest. "Sorry if I come off as bossy or hard to you. I don't mean it."

Slowly, Natsu resumed his stupid smile and shook his head. "Nah, I much prefer ya tell me what I need to do, instead of being quiet," he confessed with a snickering grin. "Just remember, if ya need anything at all, come to me okay? I'll take care of ya here in Fairy Tail, Luce."

Back in the city, the little hidden lot that Natsu and Lucy discovered the plastic spikes, a Dodge Challenger Hellcat with black paint rolled to a stop, a deep blue Nissan 370Z parked beside him. The Hellcat door kicked opened, and a tall, extremely muscled man stomped out in his steel-toed boots. Gritting his teeth, Gajeel Redfox pounded his feet over to the broken strip with seething rage.

Looking at the chain briefly, the dark man let out a deep, guttural growl as he kicked the tool away in disgust. "The fuck happened here? How did this happen?" he shouted in the night, ready to tear his spiked, long hair out. "How in the fucking hell did that _kid _figure it out!"

"Nii-chan shouldn't be yelling so loudly," a cool, feminine voice spoke behind him. Leaning on the hood of the Nissan, a slim, pale woman with long, wavy blue hair observed the man with a tilt of her head. Her thick eyeliner orbs watched at Gajeel's display of rage; chewing on his black shirt and then ripping off his beige-colored bandana and stomping on it on the pavement, the young woman sighed and crossed her arms gently. "Nii-chan will make someone nervous and make them call the cops for the ruckus."

"That little shit is gonna get it next time I see him! How the fuckin' hell did he _win?" _he growled and pointed to the broken plastic, his head snapping back to it and the woman watching with a somewhat bored look. "Salamander has never even placed before, and all of the sudden he just wins _first-fucking-place?"_

The blue haired woman shrugged lightly, a tiny smile on her lips. "Perhaps, Natsu-san realized that your spikes were fake, Nii-chan?" a little giggle escaped her lips as rest her hand on her collarbone, dressed in a black-bikini top and ripped shorts. "Juvia is rather happy for Natsu-san, though. She has been waiting for Natsu-san to place for a while now."

"Don't think I'll let your pal get away with this," Gajeel hissed and glared to the woman, who blinked unamused in response. "Just because ya get along with those freaky shits in that gang, doesn't mean shit with me, kid!"

"Juvia has never asked you to be friends with them," the woman, Juvia reminded simply. "Juvia does wish that Nii-chan would be a little bit _nicer _to when they visit. Don't be mad about this, okay? Nii-chan tied with Erza-sama in second place and Juvia placed third, so there is nothing for Nii-chan to get angry for. It was a recruiting race, therefore no one would think of Nii-chan's placement as anything more than just gaining newbies."

Gajeel tsk-ed at her and scooped the chain up, tossing it to the side where a small pile of garbage laid ignored by anyone who passed by. "Still doesn't make sense," he went on darkly. "How he knew about this pathway and how that it was a fake trap… It's not like that dumbass went to school, or something. You didn't tell them anything, did you, _Juvia?"_

Juvia narrowed her eyes at Gajeel, who flinched and raised his hands to her. Tapping her high-heeled foot, she raised a brow at him. "S-sorry, kid, I didn't mean that," Gajeel waved a hand in defeat and gruffly sighed. "I'm not blaming you for any of this, okay? I'm just pissed that the little shit actually _beat me."_

"Juvia understands Nii-chan's problem, but it is nothing for him to bitch about," she rolled her eyes and stood up from her car. Flipping her long hair past her shoulder, Juvia head back to her car's door. "Hurry up, Nii-chan. We still have work to do before going home, and Juvia wants to eat something."

"Don't order me around, kid!" Gajeel grouched at her shrinking back. "I'm your older brother, remember? Don't forget that I'm seven years older than ya, too! I'm practically the adult in this situation and -!"

"Yet Nii-chan still has the attention span of a child, no doubt," Juvia sang sweetly as she opened her door. Looking to see the tough man flush at her retort, she offered a sweet smile to him. "Juvia wants to go now, Nii-chan. Juvia would like to go home and make pancakes!"

His cheeks still pink, Gajeel picked up his thrown bandana and crossed his arms. "You're such a child sometimes, you know that?"

"Juvia will put extra chocolate chips in Nii-chan's portion, if he hurries up," she told him before slipping into her car and shutting the door. This definitely sparked Gajeel's interest as he took large steps back to his ride in a quick manner.

"Don't forget I like 'em a little bit burnt on the edges, kid!" Gajeel reminded to the blue car in a shout, not liking how the Nissan revved at him and took off up the ramp ahead of them. The man grumbled in distaste and slouched into his ride. "Still," he mumbled to himself as he slammed the door, "doesn't make sense how that kid won…"

From the radio, Juvia's monotonous voice made him stiffen. "Juvia swears, if Nii-chan won't get the pole out of his ass, she will not make him any pancakes."

"Ya won't starve me, you know that!" Gajeel howled as he stomped on the gas, his car speeding up to catch with his sister at a raging speed. "Where we goin', hah? Ya got the directions, don't ya?"

"If Nii-chan can focus and catch up to Juvia, then she will help him!"

"You little brat!"

.

.

.

Lucy sighed, waking up under the thick blankets and minty-smelling sheets that she recognized to be Natsu's scent. She felt warm, which wasn't common for Lucy to wake up to, and it felt wonderful. Usually, she would wake up freezing because a housemaid would have peeled the blankets off to wash them, leaving Lucy unprepared for the cold draft that always came in when they opened her bedroom door. She never got mad at the maids, really, but it still felt wonderful to wake up for the first time in a very, very warm bed.

It may just be her, but Lucy also thought Natsu's pillow was firm and comfortable. Something she could snuggle against and listen to the heartbeat and -

Wait.

Opening her brown eyes, Lucy came face-to-face with Natsu's snoring and dead-asleep head. His mouth was open, and a tiny bit of drool was trickling out of the corner (not on her, thank God) of his lips. His brow twitching when she sat up in the bed like a bullet, grabbing her shoe that was on the floor of the bed. She didn't hesitate to smack Natsu awake with a _snork! _with her shoe to his cheek, an old-fashioned glove slap with a shoe.

"Whadd'ya doin' in _bed with me, you idiot!" _Lucy shrieked as Natsu squirmed and fell off the other side of the bed. His head collided with the nightstand and the lamp wobbled, but Lucy didn't stop as she chucked her shoe at him and pulled the thick blanket around her. She wasn't sleeping with pants underneath Natsu's shirt, since it went down to her knees.

"What are you talking about?" Natsu whined and groggily sat up, rubbing his skull with his eyes closed. "This is the couch…"

"No it's not!" Lucy screamed at him, making him stiffen and open his eyes. Frowning, Natsu looked around and recognized his bedroom. "I thought you said you were taking the couch!"

"Oh, whoops," Natsu blinked and twitched under his eye. Looking up to the frantic woman, Natsu could see her trying to find something to whack him with again. "Ne, Luce, it's not what it looks like, 'kay? I must've slept walk last night - it usually happens after I get done with a race."

"What kind of excuse is that?" Lucy growled and scooched away when he climbed back up. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"I usually get motion sickness while I sleep after a race," Natsu sighed with an embarrassed blush on his face. "It's weird, I know, but I used to get sick really easily in the car as a kid. When I was little, the only way I could calm down and not puke was by snuggling someone; it basically turned into a habit when I sleep now, but I usually break into Gray's room or try to snuggle Gramps or Laxus. You're actually a lot more nicer when waking up compared to them."

"That's the most stupidest thing I've ever heard!" Lucy hissed when he grinned at her. "I could've sworn I locked the door, just incase!"

"So does Gray and everyone else, but I guess that doesn't stop me," Natsu shrugged with a chuckle. "Sorry about that, Lucy. I didn't mean to scare you, honestly."

Lucy sniffed and looked away, her cheeks bright red as she looked for her backpack to get pants. Natsu pulled it up for her and handed it to the blonde, who muttered a thanks and took it from him. He hopped off the bed and made his way out the bedroom, and Lucy nearly died when she finally realized that he was shirtless and walking around in his boxers; heat rushing to her face as she mentally cursed her friend and yanked sweatpants out. She dressed in a tank top and pulled Natsu's bed back in order, not sure if he would whine if she was discovered actually making his bed. Fixing her hair into a lazy bun, Lucy stepped out of the bedroom and found that the living room changed.

Changed, as in it was sort've _clean._

"W-what..?" Lucy stammered looked up to see Natsu rolling the blanket on the couch and dropping the pillow atop of it. The pink haired man straightened and looked back, now wearing a white shirt and jeans.

"Is it okay right now?" Natsu asked with his brows raised. He looked around to the cleared floor, and magazines were stacked neatly on the coffee table; the engine parts and tire were put into cardboard boxes and placed in the coat closet, all of the discarded clothes were missing, too. "I can finish it later, but it looks a lot better than last night, right?"

"Y-yeah," nodded. "You didn't...have to, Natsu."

He snorted in response. "Luce, if we're gonna be roommates, I can't live like a pig around a lady. It's rude, you know." The woman twitched to hide her laughter as she shook her head at him, and he smiled politely to her. "You ready to head to the garage? You haven't met Erza and Gray yet, and I bet they wanna meet ya. Knowing Gramps, he probably told them about you already when they came home last night."

Lucy nodded, looking over herself carefully. "Do I look okay..? I'm not sure if I look decent."

"Pfft," Natsu gurgled a laugh and tried to keep it down from pissing her off. "Don't worry 'bout it, Luce. After races, we all don't give a crap what we look like. Can't you tell?"

"But you're a boy," Lucy said flatly, ignoring how Natsu gaped at her and began walking towards the door. She pulled her sneakers on and began to open the door to go out with her sweatshirt in her arms. "Girls are different, and appearance kinda means a lot to them."

Natsu cocked his head before scrambling after her. "Well, I think you look good! If that helps, you look very nice, Luce."

"Not really."

"Aww, Lucy!"

But Natsu was right, much to her surprise. Even though Lucy still felt underdressed compared to the other women in the garage (minus Levy and Lisanna in their mechanic garbs), everyone was either in leisure clothes or still in their pajamas. Lucy could recognize a few faces from last night, huddling around Mirajane's bar or strolling around the garage and still waking up. She discovered that it was only ten o'clock, and she had gone to bed around three or four, if she remembered right.

Natsu most likely went to bed later than her, though, she thought. Since he cleaned the living room while she was asleep, Lucy figured he passed out sometime around six...and snuck into bed, or slept walk. Whatever. However, he was hyperactive and happy to be awake, running in circled to say good morning to everyone present in the space, all while tugging on Lucy's sleeve to have her follow him and properly introduce to them better than last night.

"Morning, Lulu-chan!" Levy smiled and waved with her screwdriver to the blonde, making her blink at the nickname. "Oh, don't worry about it, I give everyone personal pet names if I like them."

"How come I don't get one?" Natsu asked with a whine.

Levy crossed her arms at him and tapped her boot on the tiled floor. "You have Salamander. That's close enough until you pay me back for doing your doors, you little snot."

Lucy giggled and complimented Levy's work inside and out of Natsu's car, which made the young mechanic squeal and glitter up with joy. Lisanna, who Lucy discovered to be Natsu's friend every since they were little, little kids, is just as excited to have Lucy here (since there aren't enough girls in Fairy Tail).

"Sorry about last night," Cana said straight away when she bumped into Lucy and Natsu on their way out of the mechanic office. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable like that. It's not everyday I meet someone related to...you know."

Lucy smiled in response. "It's okay. Cana, right? Can you teach me how to dress like that?" Lucy pointed to Cana's outfit, even though it's probably her pjs, she was wearing a sexy crop top with the word _Hot Rod _written across her breasts and sweat shorts. "I don't know how to dress for races. "If I'm going to be Natsu's partner, I think it's only fair to dress like everyone else. Pretty sure people don't wear sweats and tennis shoes to races."

Cana was more than happy to oblige and told Lucy that she'll whip something up the next time she goes to a race or job with Natsu. Natsu then introduced her to Cana's dad and Macaro and Wakaba, who were next to a red headed woman and a bored-looking man around Natsu's age being served by Mirajane at the bar.

Natsu grinned brightly and wrapped an arm around Lucy to keep her from pulling away (which she had been trying to do the last few times meeting someone). It seemed to be a habit of his, holding people, but Lucy secretly welcomed the warmth he gave her in the not-actually-a-hug. "Guys, guys! This is Lucy! Has Gramps told you yet? She's my partner and we're bunking together now! I have a roommate!"

The redhead woman blinked and looked to Lucy, who flushed and refused to make eye contact. "So, this is the girl who was in the car last night?" she asked calmly, giving Lucy a gentle smile. "It's nice to finally meet you, Lucy. Master Makarov has told me you are joining us. My name is Erza, by the way."

Seeing the woman's hand sticking out, Lucy swallowed and shook her hand with a firm grip. This seemed to please Erza, because she smiled even brighter. "Jellal was right when he said you were tough - I can tell by your grip. It will be a pleasure working with you, Lucy."

"Thank you, Miss Erza."

"Erza is fine, now that you're part of the family," the woman winked to her, before snapping her gaze to Natsu. The once sweet, motherly look Erza was giving to Lucy, it was somewhat demonic and deadly. "But _you, _Natsu, what gave you the right to turn off the radio while I was trying to talk to you -?"

"And that's Gray over here," Natsu spoke loudly, drowning out Erza's voice as he gestured to the man sitting next to her. The man has messy black hair and droopy eyes, and looked completely disinterested in the whole situation, despite Erza practically radiating dark auras at being silenced. "He's my best bud, Luce. He helped me get into S-Class and everything!"

"I didn't hear the end of Erza's rant last night because of you, hothead," Gray growled lowly before grabbing the cup of boiling tea and chugging it down. He ignored the burning in his throat and swallowed it. "You're gonna have to make that up, you know."

"Bah, don't be such a prick," Natsu rolled his eyes and waved his hand at him, making Lucy's brown eyes look his way with a raised brow. "He's just crabby because his girlfriend stabbed his car last night, right, assbutt?"

"Not my _girlfriend," _Gray pointed out darkly. He took one look at Lucy before rolling his eyes. "Feel sorry for ya, blondie. Living with Natsu is going to be nothing but a living hell. It's best for you to bunk with someone else before he sleep walks and tries to cuddle you like a teddy bear."

Lucy's face went bright red and Gray noticed with a teasing smirk. "So, that already happened, huh? You work fast, Natsu."

"Lucy's a friend, jackass!" Natsu defended. "It was an accident! Don't make me beat you senseless that you'd have to stay in bed for the rest of the week!"

"Now, now, save the playtime for later, you two," Makarov's voice caught Lucy's attention as she turned around to see the elderly man dressed in a leathered jacket and jeans. He had a hat on top of his head with sunglasses resting on them. "We got work to take care today."

"Can Luce come with us, Gramps?" Natsu asked right away, bouncing in his spot. "She's sorta part of the S-Class with me, yeah? She's my partner!"

Makarov's whiskers twitched as he looked up to Lucy, who shrugged in response. "It's just going to Phantom's for a visit. It's nothing really special, Natsu."

"But I want Luce to meet Juvia-chan and try the burgers there! It's not as good as Mira's masterpieces, but it's still worth to try."

"Is everything you want to show me has to do with food?" Lucy asked with a twitch in her brow in irritation. Gray rolled his eyes and got up with his white coat in his hands, and Erza giggled at Lucy's accusation to the young man before standing up herself.

"You can come if you want, Lucy," Makarov said to her. "We have enough room in my car for one more. Erza always gets shotgun and Natsu and Gray argue in the back...it may be good to have someone in the middle to keep those two out of each other's reach."

Lucy's cheeks bubbled with the bright smile at seeing both of the young men glare at each other while Erza crossed her arms with an approving nod. "I don't mind. I'm new to Fairy Tail, so I might as well check everything out, right?"

"If you insist, dear," the old man nodded before waddling off to a compact car parked outside the opened garage door. Natsu grinned to Lucy with a sparkle in his eye, still bouncing like a kid going to an amusement park.

"It's gonna be cool, Luce. It's like those parts in the movies that have a bar scene. Where the good guy gets some info that will lead him to save the day," Natsu explained with a thumbs up, making Lucy flinch. "But don't worry, nothing ever happens when we go to Phantom's place. No one ever does anything while we're there, so you don't have to worry about anything."

Lucy blinked in disbelief at him, but he didn't stop smiling as he gently grasped her wrist and led her to where Makarov was starting his vehicle. It was rundown, but the engine sounded fresh and healthy to Lucy's ears. "It's not going to take long anyway - what we go there to do, that is - and, when we get back, Luce, I can clean some more in my apartment. I'll get the thingy that cleans the floors really good."

"The mop, Natsu. It's called a mop."

Erza watched the two go to the car, Gray at her side and slipping on his coat. Her arms still crossed, a knowing smirk spread on her lips as she shook her head slowly. Gray noticed this and raised a brow at her once he finished putting on the jacket.

"What's that look for?" he asked her.

Erza shook her head at him and grinned. "Nothing you understand, kid," she responded, looking to her other side, where her '94 Toyota Supra stood without any decorations on the hood or sides. Jellal was laying up on the hood and window with his hands behind his head, looking as if he was taking a nap ontop of her car. Seeing his eyes crack open, as if sensing someone was looking at him, she smiled brighter when his lips curled up and exhaled deeply. Taking a brief glance to Natsu opening the door for Lucy and still chattering away, Jellal raised his eyebrows before looking back to his wife.

He winked at her in response to her little observation before resuming his nap. Gray's head tilt at the couple's silent conversation and it only made him for confused. "What are you thinking, Erza?"

"You won't get it until you figure it out yourself, Gray," Erza explained before looking at him. "You excited to see Juvia? I'm sure she's gonna start apologizing for damaging your ride, hm?"

Gray flushed in the cheeks and snapped his head away from her, marching his way over to the other side the black compact car and yells at Natsu for taking up too much space in the back seat. Erza shook her head affectionately at the younger men and woman before going to take the front passenger seat to do their job for the day.

'_They'll learn sooner or later,' _she thought softly before Makarov began driving off into the pathway of the city.

_._

_._

_._

=xxx=

AUTHOR'S ENDING NOTE - ...I think Makarov is tall enough to reach the wheels and pedals. He can drive. Yeah... I also have a secret headcannon that Juvia calls Gajeel 'nii-chan'.


	3. Chapter 3

I need more NaLu and Gruvia in my life, let's be real here. I'm thirsty for some OTP juice.

=xxx=

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R_i_**d**e '_**e**_m _H_**a**r_**d**_

Chapter Three

Lucy learned that the Phantom Lord gang had a bar outside of racing. In actuality, Makarov used to be partners with the boss of the particular gang, back in the old days, and Makarov himself had a record. She didn't ask many questions about the old man's past, thinking it was out of her place and rude to ask someone's criminal past and how they came to be. But, going back to present, Makarov knows the boss of the gang, Jose Porla, pretty well.

Since Makarov works for the good guys now as an undercover agent, he left to start his own 'gang' without Jose knowing his true intentions. Since then, the two men had a rocky friendship that affected them and their gangs together. However, since Makarov can still gain access to meet Jose once in a while, after races, for example, he tries to get drivers and people Jose may have picked up from the recruiting races to take back to Fairy Tail, or take them to the station if they don't wish to go with them. Since Jose has no clue that his ex-partner in crime is now working for the police department, rules apply to Makarov to put up the act of being a real gang boss.

Which means money, violence, guns and sometimes drugs gets involved.

With bringing the S-Class drivers along, Natsu explained to her on the drive there, it lets Jose know that Makarov means absolute business and nothing more. It also gives Jose a warning of not to try and attack him for ransom or even kill him (not that Jose would kill Makarov, but there is always the possibility). And, from Jose knowing that Makarov has his S-Class with him, he believes that Makarov is still on the street's side.

It also gives him a little scare, Natsu added too, but Lucy didn't want to think about that.

The bar was on the low-run part of the city, but close enough for people on the more glamorous side to come over if they wanted to. It was a brick building with two stories, and small windows that probably didn't open on the first floor. A neon-lighted sign hung on the outside, spelling out _Phantom Lord _with a purple design of a half circle with a tail and a dot above it. The door to enter and exit was just a large, black metal door with a slot window, reminding of Lucy of those cells in asylum films that let the doctor look in to check on the insane patient.

The parking lot was made of dirty and was empty, since the time of day would not have as many drinkers lingering around with the sun out. The little team went straight to the door and it was Erza who pounded on the steel door with her knuckles, sounding like thunder clapping to Lucy's ears.

The slot ripped open and green eyes glared out to see the visitors. Looking down to see Makarov waving with the utmost friendly smile on his face, the eyes blinked before sighing in relief.

"Boze, let us in, boy. I'm dying out here!" the old man screeched before taking his hat off and fanning his face with it, his brows raising out of the hiding spots of his sunglasses. "It's a scorcher out here today!"

"Yes, Master Makarov," the man, Boze said before slapping the slot shut and opening the heavy door for them. The dark-skinned man bowed to Makarov in greeting before smiling to him. "It's been a while, sir. It's nice to see you doing well, as usual."

"You've gotten taller again, Boze boy," Makarov looked up to the bouncer as he walked inside, his group following.

Lucy held on to Natsu's shirt as he led her inside, letting him guide her through the door and into the eerily quiet bar. Boze didn't give Lucy a second glance as he shut the door and latched it tight, thankfully, and was instantly led to a corner booth; Erza already took her seat and Gray was sitting on the edge, so Natsu let Lucy inside the booth first to sit next to Erza and he would take the other end. Lucy fidgeted under the table, and Erza noticed with a soft smile, trying to give her reassurance.

Makarov stayed standing, turning over to where the bar stood at the other end of the large room and a man was shining a glass with a rag. "Totomaruuu," he called over to the bartender, who blinked at the call of his name. "Here for my appointment with the jackass. Did he remember the good drinks this time?"

The bartender nodded with a half smile before setting down his glass and walked around the counter. "Right this way, sir," he gestured to the wooden staircase by the counter. Looking back to the corner booth, Totomaru raised his hand to them. "We'll get you drinks momentarily, guys."

"No problem, Totomaru-san," Erza waved back. The man nodded before leading Makarov up the stairs, disappearing from sight and a slightly younger woman who matched Boze's skin and dressed in a maid outfit strolled from the back and went over to the booth. Her blouse covered her skin and chest, nowhere was it attempting the imagination or sexy, as Lucy would have thought for a bar - much less having the women dressed in uniforms.

The young woman pulled out a pad of paper and pen from behind her ear. "Been awhile, guys. How have you been doing?" she said before blowing a bubble from her gum. Looking up, she tilted her head at Lucy before biting her gum back into her mouth. "She's new with you guys?" she asked with a jerk of her chin.

"This is Lucy, Sue," Natsu introduced politely. He grinned to the quiet blonde and gestured to the waitress. "Lucy, this is Sue. She's Bozu's relative and they drive together in races, like us."

Lucy offered a small smile to Sue, who nodded in return. She seemed kinda hardcore to Lucy, but her tone was a lot more softer when she spoke directly to her. "What'cha want to drink, Lucy?"

"Where's Juvia?" Gray asked Sue with crossed arms and a raised eyebrow. "She usually works the day shift."

"Not workin' today," was her response as she scribbled some notes down. "M'kay, so Erza will have the usual margarita with a double shot of cherry, no rocks. New girl, Lucy, do you want a ginger ale or something? You don't seem like you want to drink yet. It's on the house for Fairy Tail during the day."

"Uhm...sure," Lucy blinked before nodding, not quite understanding Sue's speech pattern. "Ginger ale would be nice. Thank you very -."

"Why is she not working today?" Gray asked, sitting up straighter in his seat beside Erza. His chin tilting up to glare at her more darkly, Sue, on the other hand, didn't seem offended.

Sue clicked the pen shut and shifted her weight on one leg. "She had work to do the other night. I took her shift today so she didn't have to stress herself so much and can sleep a bit."

"Is she here?"

Sue glared down to Gray, her hands on her hips. "Quit asking so many questions, Stripper. It's not your place to ask me, so shut your mouth or I won't serve you."

"Gray, you can come by later," Erza said smoothly while looking up to Sue with a kind smile. "Don't mind him, Sue. He's a little upset for what Juvia did to his ride last night at the recruiting race."

"Oh yeah," Sue said and smiled in response. "Juvia-sama used her new spear tool she conjured up in the garage one night. I'm glad she got to finally use it, especially on a certain person here." Looking to Gray with a snarky look in her eyes, Sue snickered under her breath. "I'll be back with the goods."

"W-wait!" Natsu called when Sue began walking away. "I didn't get to place my order, Sue! Sue, come back!"

"Juvia-sama instructed me to get you a special treat, _Salamander!"_ the young woman called back before going behind the counter. Natsu blinked in confusion and sat back with a childish pout on his lips, making Lucy smile a little bit.

"I swear, Natsu," Lucy rolled her eyes and fiddled with her thumbs under the table. "So...what do we do here? We don't hang around Master Makarov?"

"Makarov tries to purchase Jose's members for Fairy Tail," Erza explained quietly to her. "We come here incase something happens, like a fight...but we just chat with the members of this gang until Makarov finishes. Nothing really happens."

"Here we go," Sue came back with a large tray of drinks, handing Erza a fruity-colored drink in a cocktail glass, a simple glass of water for Gray (that she somewhat slammed infront of the grouch's hunched form. A tall glass of ginger ale for Lucy that she placed gently to the blonde with a kind smile, and then a large chocolate milkshake with whipped cream and sprinkles and a single cherry ontop was placed for Natsu.

Natsu's eyes went large at the sight of the treat, head tilting. "Whaaa…"

"Juvia-sama told me you won your first race, so she gave me specific instructions to make you her chocolate milkshake that you like so much," Sue explained with a wink and a thumbs up. "She felt bad that she couldn't be here to tell you that in person, but Gajeel-sama would've probably have a cow if he saw this."

Lucy watched as Natsu's eyes watered with tears of joy as a weird noise came out of his nose and mouth. "Juvia is the best!" he gurgled and graciously took the spoon offered by Sue.

"Yeah, Gajeel-sama really loves Juvia-sama's milkshakes, too," Sue sighed. "No doubt he would tackle you for beating him in the race if he saw you today, but more likely for the milkshake, for sure. Swear to God, he would try to bite your ear off, or something. Anyway, congrats on your win, Natsu."

"Haha! Look at me, Gray! Your girlfriend gave me a milkshake for my first win!" Natsu snickered to the grumpy man, who stiffened. "She likes me more than you! You don't get milkshakes from Juvia-chan, do you?"

"I'm not a child, unlike you," Gray hissed in response. "And she's not my girlfriend!"

"Whatever you say, Stripper," Sue shrugged uncaringly at Gray's claim, making him go red in the face. Looking to Lucy shyly sipping her drink through the straw, the dark-skinned woman tilted her head with a small smile. "You seem like a smart chick, in my opinion. I like you already. I'm sure Juvia-sama will like you, too, when she meets you."

"Can you make sure that Juvia-chan comes to the next race, Sue? I want Lucy to meet Juvia-chan. Oh! Can Luce have a chocolate milkshake, too, please? She helped me win the race, anyway." Natsu began slurping down the milkshake at a fast pace through the straw, making Lucy notice how his eyebrow was twitching to ignore the brain freeze he was developing.

"Maybe next time, bud," Sue gave an apologetic smile to him. "Juvia-sama only gave me enough to make one for you, but I'll let her know that she owes Lucy one, too."

"You're very kind, as always, Sue," Erza complimented, making Sue blush at the sweet voice. Taking her own drink, Erza stirred the straw before gulping it all down quickly. "How have you and Boze been doing?"

"Fine," Sue shrugged and held her tray behind her, swaying her maid skirt to the redhead. "Boze and I are still being trained by Gajeel-sama and Juvia-sama all the time, but it's not all that bad. Juvia-sama and Totomaru-sensei are really nice. Oh, Erza! I'm taking classes with Toto-sensei now, and looking into biology!"

"Good girl, Sue," Erza smiled. "Just keep to your studies and don't give up, okay? You don't want to disappoint Juvia, don't you… I'm sure she's very hard on making sure you study," Erza hummed and took a glance at Gray, who stared at his tiny cup of water with disgust. Sue blinked at the look, looking between Erza and Gray before looking behind herself to see if anyone else in the bar was paying attention.

Leaning in, Sue jabbed her pen at Gray's temple with a low voice. "Juvia-sama will be working the night shift tonight, since there's no races she and her bro need to go to. Gajeel-sama won't be working until midnight and she starts her shift at eight, so that should give loverboy here enough time to see her."

"Not a loverboy," Gray growled darkly in response, butting his head with Sue who held her ground strongly. "Get that through your skull, brat. It ain't like that!"

"Then why do ya bother comin' here on a weekly basis to get your ass beat by Gajeel-sama, huh? Or is that a fetish of yours, gettin' your ass beat like that?" Sue bitterly grumbled back. Lucy fidgeted beside Natsu, who finished his milkshake and left the cherry alone. He fished it out, completely ignoring how Sue was talking down of Gray and Lucy was being uncomfortable about it.

"Luce, want the cherry? I'm full now," he asked and held the tiny treat by the stem to her, making her face flush deeply with embarrassment. "Mm? What's up, you look like you're gonna be sick. Do you not like cherries?"

"Does this…" she gestured in a whisper to Sue and Gray fighting verbally, while Erza lazily looked for droplets of her beverage in her glass, as if sad that her drink disappeared so quickly. "Is this what you guys are about?"

"Haha, nah, Gray is just a sensitive prick about Juvia," he grinned, holding the cherry to her again. "Want it? I can give it to Erza, if she wants. She usually takes it."

"Sure…" Lucy mumbled and took the treat. She continued to watch Sue stand up and pocket her pen, then lift her tray to her shoulder when footsteps creaked the wooden stairs. Popping the cherry into her mouth, Lucy saw Makarov hop down to the floor with Totomaru following. Seeing the waitress looking laxed and bored out of her mind by the table of drivers, the black and white haired man stiffened.

"Sue, we don't have time to stand and chat today," Totomaru clapped his hands for the young woman to turn with a pout on her face. "You still haven't finished the chapters I gave you last night. C'mon, Fairy Tail needs their space and you need to finish reading."

"Don't boss me 'round, Toto-sensei," Sue whined and began going back to behind the counter. "I said I would read on my break."

"You have five chapters."

"I can read fast…! Fast enough…" Sue sighed and looked over her shoulder to the corner booth. "It was nice seeing you guys again. Nice meetin' ya, Lucy; I'll let Juvia-sama know to make you a shake next time, scout's honor!"

Totomaru followed to the table with Makarov, bowing to everyone sitting there presently. "I apologize if Sue caused any problems. She's better behaved when Juvia-sama is here, but she really is a good kid…"

"She's a sweetheart, as always," Erza stated before pushing Gray out of his seat. Nearly falling on his face, Gray scrambled up to his feet and got out of her way to stand. "Don't worry about it too much with us, Totomaru. I know what it's like having little snots around."

"What's that suppose to mean, Erza?" Natsu whined as he got up with Lucy. "Ya mean Gray, right? Gray was much more bratty than I ever was back then. Remember when he used to take off his clothes and run around the garage?"

"Watch what you say, hothead," Gray shouted as he marched to the door, not allowing Boze to open it as he yanked the metal door open and left. The bouncer blinked and looked back to Sue, who shrugged from behind the counter.

Makarov raised a brow before smiling to Totomaru. "I suppose Juvia isn't here right now, hm? She's a busy young lady, no doubt."

Totomaru simply shrugged and waved goodbye to the group. Lucy took one last look around the empty bar before following Natsu closely, seeing how normal it was for something that he made a big deal for. Gray was already waiting in the car with crossed arms and a grumpy look on his face, and everyone silently climbed in and got out of the parking lot.

"Well, Master?" Erza asked once they made it to the road. Everyone was silent until then, seeing how quiet the elderly man was being.

"Apparently Gajeel and his sister didn't pick anyone out last night that they thought were worth Jose's time," Makarov sighed and shrugged. "Anyone else from the race last night may have been picked up by other gangs or arrested from the crashes you guys caused."

"There were a lot of arrests made last night," Erza noted, now remembering before glancing back to the seat behind them, where Lucy and Natsu glanced at each other nervously. "It's not a bad thing - it's good to get as many people off the streets, and you guys did your part."

"Besides breaking civilian cars on the way, too," Makarov grumbled under his breath, making Natsu straighten and pout. "You're going to have to pay that off Natsu, starting on your next job with Lucy."

"I didn't mean to, Gramps!" Natsu whined and crossed his arms.

Lucy glanced between the two. "I could help pay that off, too, if that helps. I was in the car with Natsu when he was racing last night," she offered. Looking to Natsu, she offered him a small smile. "That can double our pay and fix the damage we caused, Natsu."

"Nooo, Lucyyy!" Natsu whined again, waving his hands to her as she smiled a bit bigger. "That's going to be your money. You spend it however you want, okay?"

"Don't I have rent to pay?"

"Not in Fairy Tail, Lucy," Erza answered, peeking back to the blonde through the little mirror. "Your time spent on jobs and helping out around the garage is payment. The building is funded by the police department to our needs."

"Yeah, so, save the money for yourself, okay, Luce?" Natsu instructed before clamping his hand over her mouth, when she tried to say something. "I made the mess, so I pick it up, remember?"

"This is the most I've seen you act mature, hothead," Gray pointed out with a raised brow, making Erza snicker under her breath. Lucy glanced between the two young men as Makarov grumbled at the statement and turned on the radio.

"Speaking of acting mature, Gray," Makarov said once he picked a station he wanted to listen to, "when you come by later tonight, try not to get into a fight with anyone in the bar. Jose mentioned a little something 'bout that. Your last visit to the Phantom's bar cost Jose to purchase bottles and bottles of drinks in replacement of the ones you broke."

Beside Lucy, Gray snorted and rolled his eyes. "Whatever. It was Gajeel who started the shit last time, not me. He should've taken it outside, like a normal person."

"If I get another damage bill sent to me from Jose, I swear to God I'm going to cut your tires for three months," Makarov warned. "You're gonna go back to scrubbing the floor and toilets, if you screw up again."

Gray stiffened, and Lucy looked to Natsu for the answer. "When we were kids, Gramps used to make me, Gray and Laxus clean the whole garage floor when we did something bad. It wasn't fun, since he'd make us do it after throwing a party and people got pretty drunk…" Natsu shivered as he whispered to Lucy, who blinked and covered her mouth with her hands to keep from squealing of disgust. "Still makes me freaked out just thinking about it."

Erza smirked to herself as she stole a glance to Gray, who went green at the horrible memories of being a kid. Smiling to Makarov, Erza turned up the music on the radio to drown out the annoying whines both of the young men were making.

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Parking his sleek, black motorcycle onto the dirt corner of the Phantom's bar, Gray Fullbuster stood off of his two-wheeled ride and locked the engine with his keys. Pocketing the set into his white leathered coat, Gray yanked off his black helmet and strapped it to the back seat of the Kawasaki Ninja before looking around.

The parking lot was filled now, both with familiar cars and unknown ones that he never bothered to remember. Kicking gravel off of his black boot, he robotically went over to the tall, metal door that held back the hard music and noises of people hiding inside the brick building. Knocking with the back of his hand close to slot until it opened to show peering eyes. Raising a bored brow at the pair of eyes, Gray boredly stared back.

"Back so soon, Stripper?" Boze snickered out teasingly. "Sue said something 'bout you coming back tonight."

Bringing his other hand up, Gray held a roll of money tied together by a rubber band. "You plan on keeping it quiet for a bit for me? Gramps is on my ass about breaking something again."

"Well," Boze hummed as he opened the door and snatched the cash from Gray, who seemed unfazed by the sudden action, "we'll see 'bout that. Gajeel-sama isn't gonna be out for another few hours, so you got time."

Once stepping into the now crowded, alcohol-stenched bar, Gray tilted his head at the sudden change of atmosphere. Boze slipped his payment inside his pants pocket, snickering when he saw the new customer pinch his nose. "It's the start of Happy Hour, man. Ask Totomaru for further assistance, m'kay? Oh, and if Gajeel-sama happens to come and kick your ass, leave me outta it, 'kay? Ya paid me to get it twice as much as Gajeel-sama paid me to keep ya out."

"Whatever, man," Gray rolled his eyes and went further into the bar. Instead of going to a booth, where he could stay hidden easily from everyone else present, Gray Fullbuster went to the counter and sat at the far corner by the wall. A couple of seats were giving him space from everyone else, which was nice as he set his elbow on the wooden counter and rest his chin on the palm of his hand.

It only took a second to recognize Totomaru coming straight over to him and set a napkin in front of him. The man with two hair colors smiled in greeting. "Welcome, Gray-san," the older man said politely, which Gray mutely nodded in response. "I won't waste any more of your time. Just let me get her for you…" Turning around, the bartender strolled over to the curtained doorway and tilt his head in. "Juvia-sama! One more at the end and then it's your break. Take an extra ten or _thirty _for yourself, okay? You've worked too much already."

"Hai, Toto-sensei!" a bright, cheery voice perked Gray's head up a little bit. Quickly to recollect himself, he watched as Totomaru went back to tending to his patrons before the curtain yanked opened for someone to come through.

Juvia was dressed somewhat like Sue did earlier, yet her ruffled maid blouse exposed a bit more of her cleavage and her skirt seemed to hide nothing of her long legs. She had heels on compared to the younger one from earlier, and her long, wavy hair was pulled up in a messy ponytail with her bonnet helping to frame her bangs around her cute face. Instead of the smokey-eye makeup she would usually wear during races, a simple eyeliner was used to sharpen her eyes and a pink gloss to her lips added a extra cuteness to her uniform.

Once Juvia's dark blue eyes found Gray waiting for her at the end of the bar, her cheeks instantly went bright red and her lower lip quivered. He inwardly smirked at the sight and sighed when she instantly began fidgeting in her stance, when only seconds before she was confident and calm…

This usually happened when they saw each other out of their cars, and Gray was very much used to it.

Tip toeing over to where her customer was sitting silently, Juvia glanced around to the drunk, distracted or loud men and few women before finally looking to him. "J-Juvia is sorry," she said shyly, gripping her white apron. "J-Juvia is s-sorry for...ruining Gray-sama's car last night."

Gray snorted, looking up with a lopsided smirk on his face. "Not upset about it, Juvia. It just surprised me that's all," he confessed with a simple shrug. Although, in truth, Gray was nearly skinned alive by Levy until he told her who did it, which saved his ass from Levy's wrenches and pliers. "Sue said something about you comin' up with it yourself?"

Juvia's cheeks flushed deeper before hastily pulling out a pad of paper and a pen from her apron pocket. "Would Gray-sama like something to drink? It's kinda warm outside, a-and it's also really warm in here. Juvia thinks it's warm in here, does Gray-sama feel it, too? U-uh...since Gray-sama is wearing his l-leather jacket."

Raising a brow, Gray did his best to not let his half-smile grow. "You know what I like, Juvia. You're the only one who can get it the way that I like it, remember?"

"R-right!" Juvia peeped shyly as she shoved her tools back into her pocket and scurrying to the wall of drinks and glasses and other items against the wall and counter. "Juvia remembers, of course! Juvia sh-should stop being such a dork sometimes."

While she prepared his drink, Gray took the chance to look her over carefully and close up. Her movements seem to be energetic, if a little twitchy from her excitement, but she wasn't tripping or struggling to hop on her heeled feet to reach the top shelf. She seemed to be breathing normally, and her healthy blush on her face is noticeable for him, too; she was also aware and looked to be eating enough. His black eyes tried to look at as much exposed skin her outfit was revealing, and saw no scratches or scars marking her otherwise porcelain skin.

"For Gray-sama!" Juvia chirped as she placed the finished drink on his napkin. She took a step back and patiently waited until he took the glass and took a swig of it. Nipping her lower lip, Juvia tried her best to not fidget infront of him. He noticed this, and made sure to take his time drinking, which made her pout childishly at him. "Gray-sama, so mean at making Juvia wait!"

He huffed teasingly and set the drink down. "It's great, as always, Juvia," he said softly to her, watching as she finally relaxed her hunched shoulders. "Ya may put Totomaru out of business, if anyone else got a hold of your works."

"Juvia only makes things for close _acquaintances_ and family," she reminded him with a pout, as if she was disappointed by his idea. "Toto-sensei works very hard and Juvia would _hate _it if Toto-sensei had to quit because of Juvia…"

"I'm just teasin'," Gray hummed before sitting up a little bit, his hand unzipping his white coat halfway and reaching inside. "You know that I like Totomaru's stuff, too. I just like your stuff a bit better."

"But Toto-sensei taught Juvia how to make it," she huffed and looked away, annoyed. "Now Juvia wishes that Gray-sama and her were in cars, so Juvia can make Gray-sama take it back. Toto-sensei is a very good teacher, for Gray-sama's information."

"How about this?" Gray offered as he pulled out a small paper bag, like the ones children use for lunches. It was wrapped and folded neatly to keep items inside from falling out, and a little drawing in marker of a familiar girl's face was on it. "Will you forgive me now?"

Juvia's head tilt at the sight of the bag being given to her on the counter, noticing the drawing right away. "Levy-chan sends a package to Juvia again?"

"She wanted to draw on it, actually. No, this one's from me," Gray shrugged and let Juvia pick up the little bag, tearing the edge open to peek inside. "It's been awhile since I gave you medication, so there's two new bottles of iron supplements for you. I don't know if your brother has gotten you any more, but I know how you barely say anything about it to him...or anyone, for that matter."

"G-Gray-sama didn't have to," Juvia whispered with an embarrassed blush on her cheeks. Closing the bag and stashing it under the counter from prying eyes, she refused to meet his eyes. "Juvia is capable of getting her medications, too, Gray-sama."

"I know," Gray nodded to her. "But you are very bad at getting things you need until the very, very last minute. I can see it now; you're crawling into the pharmacy because you're incapable of walking and have to use an umbrella to reach the shelf."

"Gray-sama is so mean," Juvia pouted at him. "Now Juvia isn't sorry for hitting Gray-sama's car."

Gray smiled at her, taking his drink back into his hands. He knew she didn't really mean it, even though she probably praised herself when she pierced his car with a harpoon-like weapon. "Other than that, have you been doing okay?"

Juvia blinked. "What does Gray-sama mean by that?" she asked with a raised brow. "Does Juvia not look fine to Gray-sama?"

"Well, you didn't seem to stay long after the race last night, so I thought you were getting sick or something," Gray explained with a shrug, pretending that it wasn't a big deal. Which, on the inside, it really was for him. "It's been awhile since you've had problems, right?"

Frowning, the blue-haired woman let him finish his glass before speaking. "Juvia is fine, so Gray-sama doesn't need to worry. Juvia just had a busy night - Master Jose has been working Nii-chan and Juvia a lot, since Nii-chan got caught again a few weeks ago."

"Yeah, saw that on TV," Gray rolled his eyes. "I'm surprised that he was able to be bailed out after causing that huge collision on the freeway in the other city."

"Master Jose has his ways, Gray-sama," Juvia frowned at him, her posture going stiff at the defense for her older sibling. "Gray-sama knows the rules, though. You shouldn't ask Juvia such questions like that. Nii-chan did what he had to do, so Gray-sama should stay out of it. Juvia is willing to help Nii-chan to pay back, so she will suck it up."

"I know you're tough, I don't doubt it one bit," Gray assured her when she snatched the glass from him, he inwardly liked how she went from gushy to full of sass in a matter of a second. "Just please don't overwork yourself too much. For Levy's sake, or she'll skin me alive… Really, for my sake, too, okay? I don't want to have to worry."

He heard her sigh lightly, but a tiny smile perked on her cute lips. "Juvia will for -!" she suddenly stopped when a loud bang erupted from the other end of the bar, where Totomaru was standing with folded arms and a stern look on his face. Turning his head, Gray saw the familiar ribbon of smoke rising from the bodies of drinking men.

"What ya mean I can't smoke in here? Didn't see no sign, bastard!" a gruff, obviously intoxicated yell sparked their attention. A man with a wiry beard and an eyepatch waved his cigarette in front of Totomaru, as if mocking the bartender. "Can smoke at any other bar, but this one? What a joke, man! I can do what I want! I can't believe my pal suggested this place!"

"Smoking is prohibited strongly within this bar," Totomaru stated in a firm voice, not caring how the man tapped his stick and let ashed fall to his shoes and onto the counter he just cleaned. "You'll have to take it outside."

"Too drunk to move, bitch," the customer snickered and took a long drag. Once inhaling, the man blew out a cloud of smoke into Totomaru's face, which he waved off. "I pay to come here and relax, and the customer is always right!"

Gray peeked back to the waitress, who was watching the scene take place, frowning deeply and bring her hand to cover her nose and mouth when that little smell drifted over their way. Eyes narrowing, Gray was about to rise from his seat when Juvia used her other hand to grasp his leather coat, making him freeze on the spot. She shook her head at him slowly, and he didn't disobey her silent order. Stiffly sitting back down, Gray heard Totomaru make a sharp whistle and watched as Boze slid off his little seat and strolled on over, cracking his knuckles.

"What's up here, Toto-sensei?" Boze barked out, letting the rest of the lively noise shrink into silence as the drunk man blinked and glare upward to the tall man. Noticing the cigarette in his hand, Boze's grin grew to a dark smile. "I see, I see. Ya know the rules here, man?" Boze hovered over the seated customer, hands grasping the shoulders in a tight hold. "No smoking inside the bar, see? Some folks here can't handle that shit, man. I'm sure you don't mind taking it outside, no?"

"Can't make me do -!" The drunk man didn't get the chance to finish his sentence when he was lifted up by the bouncer. Boze pinched the cigarette, killing the light and proceeded to drag the man away from the bar and towards the door. The man began shouting profanities and rants as Boze opened the door and practically threw him out…

Juvia's brow twitched as the stench of the cigarette smoke reached to the other end of the bar, unconsciously squeezing her hand on Gray's shoulder. He looked up to her, a displeased look in his eyes when she pinched her nose shut.

Totomaru went to the other end, yet keeping a distance from Juvia as she backed further to the wall. A sad smile on his face, the man with the facial tattoos nodded to her. "Would you mind watching the counter while I scrub my face and change clothes? I'll open the back door and bring a fan in to get the smoke smell out."

"Juvia can handle things here," Juvia said, letting go of her little nose. Using the same hand, she waved in front of her face and let go of Gray's coat. "Juvia is sorry, Toto-sensei."

"Nah, don't worry about it, Juvia-sama. It's hardly your fault," he winked at her and looked to Gray. "Keep an eye on her for me, too. Gajeel-sama asked to watch over her until he does his shift."

Juvia rolled her eyes and pointed to the curtain for Totomaru. The older man simply nodded and left through the curtain, letting Juvia wait a couple of seconds before exhaling the breath she was holding when Gray gave her the okay to breathe. Pouting a little bit, Juvia turned around to fix Gray a glass of iced water. "Juvia is not a child. Toto-sensei knows that Juvia outranks him a lot, yet he still has the balls to baby her," she muttered under her breath, yet it didn't miss Gray's ears with the background noise rising again, as if nothing happened.

Watching her talk to herself, Gray remembered the time he witnessed the outcome of Juvia when she was around cigarettes, or any other kind of smoke that could make her struggle to breathe. They were in their late teens at the time, and Gray was inside an underground lot with a bunch of other drivers smoking within their own cloud. He used to smoke, too, ever since high school to get under people's skin, but it was Juvia's reaction that changed his whole attitude to his habits.

Basically, Gajeel and Juvia entered the lot to collect their wins on foot, and Juvia became unable to breathe and got sick. With her anemia, her lungs were the most sensitive to the polluted air, and she nearly passed out if Gajeel didn't pull her out in time...but Gray got a good look at how pale Juvia could get and how she couldn't breathe without coughing a lung out and had to lay down in Gajeel's car. He remembered Gajeel coming back to the lot and beating the life out of those who were smoking in front of him (thankfully, Gray did not have a cigarette in his hand).

Since that day, Gray has never smoked another cigarette.

Even if Juvia would tell him that she's fine and healthy, he knew better than that. He checked out books and internet articles about her possible anemia after that, trying to find anything to help her out, and even asked Levy if she knew anything on how to make her stay healthy and happy. For whatever he studies and tries to get her to spill, Juvia is very sensitive about talking about her medical problems. He concludes that she lacks iron in her lungs, or she develops seizures when overworked or inhaling harsh chemicals, such as cigarette smoke. Anemia, asthma, epilepsy, Gray just doesn't know, but that never stopped him from trying to provide to the blue haired girl who caught his attention years ago and clean himself up. He can recall when Wakaba offered him a smoke and he turned it down, actually making Elfman pass out from shock...

"How is Levy-chan doing at Fairy Tail's garage, Gray-sama?" Juvia asked, knocking him out of his thoughts and look to the waitress holding his new drink out. Not wanting to anger her by not flushing out the alcohol, Gray took the glass from her hands.

"She's working on a new side project, but she won't tell anyone what it is," he shrugged boredly. "She wants to come to the next races and see you, though, so you may want to let the pile of bolts know."

"Why would Nii-chan need to know?" Juvia blinked curiously.

"So he can be less of an asshole when she's around," Gray sniffed and looked to her with a little spark in his eyes, making her flush. "Don't tell me you haven't noticed it from the last few times Levy came to the races."

"N-no… Juvia is very well aware," she blushed with a grin on her face. Holding her own cheeks with both hands, Juvia bit back a squeal, making Gray smirk behind his glass. "Juvia finds it amusing that her very own cousin and step-brother like each other. Even though Nii-chan denies it, he can't keep it from Juvia forever. Juvia always gets Nii-chan to tell her the truth about anything."

"Guess that makes you so special," Gray teased and it made the young woman jump in her heels. He hid his snicker from her as she fixed herself and pouted at him. "You know what I mean, Juvia."

It still didn't fix her reaction, since she refused to look his way when he would try and catch her sight. Behaving like a child, she turned her cheek and puffed air into them. "Gray-sama is just looking for trouble. Juvia knew you would be upset with her about ruining your car!"

Unable to fight back at being stared at, Juvia peeked at his amused face before biting back a fit of laughs behind her hand. Gray drank the last of his water and gnawed on his ice chunks once she relaxed. "Juvia is very happy to see Gray-sama again, too."

"It's -!"

"_WHO LET YOU IN HERE, ICE PRICK?"_

Gray choked on his bit of ice as Juvia exhaled in a sigh. Twisting his head to the flight of wooden stairs, Gray saw the tall and very _pissed off _Gajeel wearing the bar's t-shirt and old jeans. He was also donned fingerless gloves with metal nuts sewn into the knuckles of the leather, and a dark, yellowish bandana held his bangs back properly as the rest of his long, spiky hair was pulled in a ponytail.

Swallowing, Gray tried to keep his calm demeanor together. "I-isn't he early..?" he whispered to Juvia, who had a displeased look on her pretty face as she stood politely in her uniform. Everyone else in the bar was watching or multitasked with their play of pool or cards, but waiting for something to happen.

"_WHADD'YA DOIN' WITH MY SISTER, HAH? WHAT DID I SAY 'BOUT COMING HERE?" _Gajeel roared as Gray stumbled out of his stool, scrambling to put distance between him and the approaching man against the wall. Scooting as quickly as he could to the door, Gray didn't mind shoving anyone out of his way. "Who let ya in here? Get out! Lemme punch ya face first, too! Then, I'll skin you and hang you outside the bar, like a flag! But let me kill you first! _Tell that Salamander that he's next when I'm finished with you!"_

"_Gajeel-niichan_," Juvia called out harshly, making the burly man halt mid step of chasing Gray. She watched somewhat sadly as her crush managed to get through the door and have Boze close it for him. Changing her eyes to glare darkly at Gajeel, Juvia snapped her fingers for his attention and he stiffly turned himself around and stomped to the counter. Customers forced themselves out of his way as he launched himself over the counter and stood toe-to-toe with the much, much smaller woman.

"The fuck he was doin' in here again? Don'tcha remember what I said about him being in here?" Gajeel growled lowly down to her, making her roll her eyes. "Who let 'im in this time? Was it Boze? I paid that little shit to keep him out!"

"Nii-chan needs to stop yelling," Juvia said blankly, pointing a well-groomed finger out of the counter, where the customers were mute and watching with fear in their eyes. Gajeel blinked for a moment before snapping his jaw at them, forcing them to go back to their own business. Juvia crossed her arms and tapped her foot on the ground. "Nii-chan doesn't need to make a scene just because Gray-sama came to get a drink."

"The hell he come here for a drink for?" Gajeel nearly shouted, but was warned by his younger sister's deadly gaze. Grunting, the man snapped his eyes away from her. "He can get the same goddamn thing anywhere else, if he wanted!"

"Gray-sama says that he likes it when Juvia makes it for him," she said suddenly with a sweet coo in her voice. Gajeel shivered when he practically saw hearts in her eyes as she held her face with both hands. "Even though Juvia defended Toto-sensei's honor, Juvia couldn't help but enjoy that Gray-sama told Juvia that he likes her drinks!"

"You're a suckup."

"Nii-chan is a meanie," Juvia sang in response before reaching under the counter and pulling out the bag Gray had given her. Looking lovingly to the drawing Levy made for her, Juvia held the brown paper bag close to her chest and peeked at Gajeel. "Is Nii-chan feeling okay to work tonight?"

"Wanna make sure Stripper stays out," Gajeel responded darkly. Seeing the familiar penmanship of Levy's note of _I miss you lots, Juju-chan! _above the chibi drawing of herself, the man cocked his head. "Did that moron give you something from Levy?"

"It's from Gray-sama, but Levy-chan drew a picture on it," Juvia hummed brightly and winked at Gajeel. "Is Nii-chan upset that it wasn't from Le-vy-chan, hmm?"

The man rolled his eyes and looked to a customer who passed out on the counter, his head slamming on the hard top. "What did the little shit give you?"

"Gray-sama brought Juvia iron pills. He gave Juvia more bottles, because he thinks Juvia is out," she answered softly, looking inside the bag and suddenly realized that they were the more expensive and stronger brand. Smiling, she closed the bag and slipped it into her apron pocket, tucking it carefully inside. "Gray-sama is very nice to Juvia, so Nii-chan should be glad that he doesn't have to worry about Juvia too often."

"It's my job to worry, you brat," Gajeel scowled and crossed his arms. "I've been looking after you ever since you were a little thing. Don't take it that I'm being soft with you, got it? No way in fuckin' hell I'm gonna let that show-off stripper try to replace me, just because you think he's cute."

Juvia's cheeks went red in both irritation and embarrassment, but exhaled anyway with a light tooting noise from her lips. Smiling again, Juvia leaned her head on the man's harder than steel muscle and looped her thin arms around his forearm, snuggling her bonnet carefully on his skin. Closing her eyes, Juvia felt her anger slip away by being so close to her big brother. "Nii-chan knows that there's no one else who can take care of Juvia but Nii-chan. Nii-chan is the best in Juvia's eyes. Doesn't Nii-chan know he's the best, or does he think Juvia is lying?"

"I know I'm the best, dork," Gajeel snorted. "You just need to tell me when you run out of iron supplements. Ya know I would've gotten you some as soon as you tell me, Juvia."

"Juvia is also a grown up, too," she reminded him, looking up with her dark blue eyes and grinning when he shrugged, as if bored of the conversation. "Nii-chan doesn't need to baby Juvia so much as he used to - Nii-chan should pamper another lady in his life with things she needs and little gifts who is _not_ Juvia...perhaps Levy-chan?"

The touching moment was ruined when Gajeel's whole face went red and spread down his neck. Fury and shock written in his eyes, the bulky man glared darkly to the waitress, who stuck out her tongue at him and winked. Uncurling her fingers and brushing her off of his arm, Gajeel stiffly went around the bar and snapped at anyone who looked his way.

"What the hell! Ya don't know nothing, kid," Gajeel told her when he looked back over his shoulder, where Juvia was waving sweetly to him. "Only reason why I put up with that little shrimp during the races is because you two are blood-related, got it? She ain't my type anyway! Don't go thinkin' that weird match-maker imagination thing with me. You know I can tell when you get your weird fantasies with that creepy look in your eye!"

Juvia sniffed with a small smile, hearing Totomaru coming through the curtain with a fresh face and clean clothes that didn't stink of smoke. When the older man glanced between the two with a raise of his brow, Juvia smiled to him before he reminded her to take an extra few minutes of her break.

"Why don't you go and grab a snack, Juvia-sama," Totomaru suggested. "You haven't eaten much today. Take your medicine, too." He gestured knowingly to the bump on her apron, making Juvia bite her lip shyly. "It was very nice of Gray-san to give them to you, Juvia-sama. Go on now, 'kay?"

Juvia nodded obediently and went back to the kitchen, away from her other job as serving drinks and grub to criminals, gang members, convicts and low-class scum. Totomaru watched as she disappeared from sight, a firm smile on his face.

"Smells like a fuckin' cigarette in here!" Gajeel roared. "Who the hell was smokin', huh? Show yourself so I can kick your ass!"

Totomaru sighed in defeat. "What am I going to do with you two..?"

Outside the bar, Gray shuddered in relief at not having any damage done to the inside of the bar, excusing him from Makarov's threat of cleaning the garage. The drunk man who was smoking was gone from sight, thank goodness, otherwise Gray would have taken the pent up energy to fight out on him (which didn't sound all that bad, considering how overly cautious Juvia was being during the scene).

Feeling a light vibration inside his pocket, Gray pulled out his cell phone and checked the ID. Expecting to see Erza's number, or even Natsu calling to ask how to properly scrub the floor, since he was hounding him before leaving while Lucy sighed in the distance, he instead saw the familiar name that made him drown out the noises of the city and nightlife.

Instantly shutting the phone off, disconnecting the incoming call, the young man hissed through clenched teeth and went over to his bike. Readying his helmet to put on his head, Gray wasn't expecting a light tap on his shoulder, turning to see the blue haired waitress standing with a little smile on her face and a healthy tint to her cheeks.

"How'd ya get out here?" Gray whispered in shock, looking between her and the metal door that had her freaky step-brother hiding inside. Not wanting to get in trouble, Gray dropped his helmet, which she caught before it fell to the dirty ground and pushed her farther into the shadows of the parking lot. There was a skinny tree there, but the shade made it more difficult for anyone to see details of their faces.

"How did you get here?" Gray freaked quietly, making the young woman blink. "What's gonna happen if Gajeel finds you out here, hah?"

Juvia rolled her eyes and held the helmet in her hands out to him, reminding him that he nearly let his possession fall to the dusty, gross ground. "Toto-sensei told Juvia to go on her break after Gray-sama ran out," she explained as he took it back. "Juvia went out the back and used the gate to find Gray-sama."

"What for? Your brother's gonna kill me if he sees you out here," Gray scolded, stealing glances back to the door while Juvia pouted at his behavior. He froze when he felt her gentle hands grasped his wrist still clamped on her shoulder, while the other held his helmet, and lifted them off her exposed shoulders. Looking back to her, he fought down the blush at her sweet smile and sparkling eyes.

"Juvia didn't say thank you to Gray-sama, for giving her iron supplements. And, Juvia is sorry for piercing your car like that, even if Gray-sama teases her," she blushed and dropped his hand, refusing to meet his gaze like a shy schoolgirl. "So...thank you, Gray-sama. Have a good night, please."

She bowed her head to him in farewell before scurrying off back to the locked gate between the bar and another large brick building. He knew she had keys hidden on her person (he didn't want to say where it would be hiding), so he watched her unlock the door and slip through, closing it behind her before looking down to his helmet that was leant against his jacket, where his cell phone was placed back in and ignored.

A half-smile spread on his lips as he lazily turned himself around and stroll to his bike. Unable to hold back the little whistle of a happy-go-lucky tune as he fished out his keys and mounted his bike, Gray felt himself feeling a bit lighter as he pulled his helmet over his head and started the bike.

He was too focused with his thoughts to notice the rusty-colored eyes watching him through the slot as he rode out of the parking lot. Gajeel grumbled as he shoved the slot closed, crossing his arms as he leaned back to the wall in his little chair; he certainly didn't miss the voice of his little sister thanking the brat he hated so much with pure joy in her voice, making his pierced brow twitch angrily.

If it's thing Gajeel Redfox didn't like seeing in his life, it's the idea of someone having feelings for his little sister. Especially if it's that goddamn stripper boy from Fairy Tail.

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=xxx=

AUTHOR'S ENDING NOTE - *humming* I'm ready for school to end and movie marathons to beginnnn (after work, if course).


	4. Chapter 4

=xxx=

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R_i_**d**e '_**e**_m _H_**a**r_**d**_

Chapter Four

Lucy didn't hesitate to kick Natsu out of the bed, not screaming this time as she glared at the pink haired man falling and landing on his head, waking him up with a snort and a small shout of pain. She watched him boredly roll around on the carpet, pushing back the quilt, sporting pants this time loaned by Natsu. They were his old pair, from when he was smaller, so they would have fit Lucy's waist and not fall down, and wore the same shirt he gave her.

"You did it again, Natsu! What the hell is wrong with you?" Lucy pointed angrily at him, ignoring the fact that he was in his boxers again. "It's been nearly a freakin' _week _now, and I've tried everything to keep you out! I propped a chair to the door, locked the bolt...everything!"

"Again..?" Natsu gurgled as he rubbed his hard abs in pain, right where Lucy had kicked him with her heel. "Damn Luce, did you take karate as a kid, or something?"

"Don't change the subject!" Lucy snapped. "Everyday I wake up to find you sleeping and cuddling me!"

The young man's eyebrow twitched and cracked his eyes open. Dark pupils looking to the woman seated on the bed, pouting at him with absolute anger and fury, he sighed and rubbed his face with both hands. "S'not like I do it on purpose, or anything, you know that."

"Yeah, I do!" Lucy 'humph'-ed at him, crossing her arms.

"You're very good at cuddlin', though," he went on, making Lucy flinch and redden in the face and neck. "I haven't woken up feeling this nice in years. Gray isn't comfortable and Laxus would fidget too much in his sleep, now that I think of it. You're soft, you know? Kinda like -!"

Natsu's face was planted with Lucy's sneaker, which she always kept by her bed for the occasion of Natsu joining her in bed. He peeled it off his face, flashing her a big, bright smile that lit up the whole room, making Lucy's chest pinch a little bit on the inside.

"Anyway," he sang as he sat up, putting her shoe back in its proper place, "good morning, Luce!"

It's been six days since Lucy was picked up by a driver named Natsu Dragneel, and brought to join Fairy Tail, an undercover operation that worked for the police department in the idea of them being a street gang with drivers racing in the city streets. A once only child of the prominent family of Heartfilia, Lucy gave up her old life of money and wealth and beauty to find a new path, and therefore took fate's suggestion of getting in Natsu's flamed car and won him his first race by her guidance. It didn't take long for Lucy to be accepted by everyone in the garage and make friends, and was practically adopted into the family and workload everyone takes turns in on a daily basis. She didn't consider herself as an S-Class driver, however everyone around her seems to take her as Natsu's passenger, which would give her the title of an S-Class…

Even being in S-Class, however, Natsu certainly didn't behave like one.

"Natsu, I want to get dressed," Lucy told him once he got to his feet, a bit wobbly from being woken up so quickly. Mirajane, Fairy Tail's retired driver and current cook of the small bar and kitchen in the garage, had given the new member all of her old clothes that were her size and suitable for races and working. Some more flashy than others, Lucy became more confident with her body as she had Cana's help, who usually dressed in a bikini top and very short shorts.

Her roommate and partner saluted with a wink and marched out of the room obediently, closing the door behind him to give her privacy. Lucy could feel her cheeks burn at how stupid, but also very, very respectful and nice Natsu was to her, even though he was totally dumb minded when he said that he would share an apartment with her, have her as his partner on jobs and keeping all the money for herself when she earned it.

Going to the dresser, Lucy opened one of the drawers that Natsu cleared out for her to use and picked out her outfit. A frilly, pastel pink tank and black shorts, Lucy changed quickly so Natsu could come in and find himself something else to wear, opening the bedroom door to see him rolled in his own blanket on the floor. His salmon-colored hair sticking out, and his toes wiggling on the other end, Lucy sighed when his big eyes peeked out to look up to her.

"What are you doing, Natsu?" she dared to ask, picking a white and blue racing sweater from the kitchen chair.

"I wanted to see if I could roll my blanket up faster, if I actually rolled myself in it," he explained simply, blinking as he tried to slip out of it himself.

"And how did that work out for you, Natsu?" Lucy shook her head with a tiny smile, crouching down and holding her head with both hands.

"I'm stuck," Natsu smiled. "It didn't work out so well."

Lucy didn't hesitate to help him unroll himself of his blanket and make him properly fold his comforter before putting it on the couch. Natsu dove into the bedroom and closed the door for his turn, and Lucy strolled over to the kitchen and opened the fridge, where she pulled out a carton of eggs and a brick of cheese. Upon discovering pans and kitchen utensils during their cleaning the other day, Lucy took the chance to clean them up and ask Mirajane if she had any eggs to spare. The white haired woman willingly gave the blonde paper bags filled with food for no charge, letting Lucy think of meals she could make for herself and roommate.

She wasn't expecting the young man to stumble out of the room, shirt still in the process of being put on and fall on his face to the smell of Lucy making omelettes. Granted, this is the first thing Lucy has made in a long, long while, so she was sure she may have done something wrong...but not Natsu sniffing the air like a puppy and instantly drooling with stars in his eyes.

"You cook, Lucy?" Natsu gawked with wide eyes, watching from the floor as Lucy finished one and start another, disposing the first breakfast on a small plate with a fork. "I thought you wanted some of Mira's food! Where did you get the stuff from?"

"Mira-chan gave them to me last night," Lucy explained and grabbed the plate with the finished omelette, waiting for the other to start bubbling. Holding it out, Lucy peeked to see Natsu sitting up robotically. "Here's yours, Natsu. It's just cheese; I don't know if you like any vegetables or peppers in them, so I went with just cheese. I hope that's okay."

Natsu took the plate and practically inhaled the breakfast, pupils dilating and cheeks pinking up at the flavor of the eggs and cheese, Lucy swore that he was going to start purring. Once finished, Natsu stared wonderingly at the blonde.

"What?" Lucy blushed, snapping her head back to her own breakfast cooking, preparing to flip it over. "Just because I was raised with chefs and maids doesn't mean I can't make my own food, you dork -!"

"This food is even better than Mira's stuff!" Natsu declared loud and proud, holding the empty plate above his head with a cheeky smile on his face. "Lucy, Luuuce! This is the best breakfast I've ever had in _years!" _

Lucy flushed dark and folded her omelette, ignoring Natsu getting up and putting his dishes in the sink, still talking about how she should be a professional cook or something. "Jeez, you're such a dork, Natsu…"

"But it's still the best breakfast I've ever had, okay?" Natsu pouted, finally slipping his other arm through the sleeve hole. Lucy didn't notice that his shirt was half on, exposing his seriously, _seriously ripped stomach _and chest and -! Slamming her omelette on the plate with a little extra force, Lucy stabbed the breakfast with her fork and began eating her breakfast in silence while Natsu scrambled around to help clean the kitchen once she finished.

After cleaning their dishes in their spotless apartment room, Natsu and Lucy slipped their shoes on and slipped out to get to the garage. Being that it's still the morning (nine o'clock, exactly), the garage doors were open to let in fresh, morning air and sunlight in and some of the members of Fairy Tail were lounging around or working.

Lucy saw Levy with 'her boys', as she would call them, working the repairs of Gray's car that had yet to be tended to, practically praising her cousin's work on the damage as she ripped the door out and instructed Jet and Droy to ready the table for the 'operation'. Laxus, Makarov's grandson, was at the bar and talking with Mirajane as she carried trays of food on her shoulder and a bright smile on her face. Gray was picking at his plate boredly while everyone else in the garage was minding their own business.

"Good morning, you two," Mirajane sang as she handed Cana two plate for her to take to Gildarts and herself by their car. "You two hungry at all? It's breakfast burrito day!"

"Nooo, Mira! Luce made breakfast for us, and it was _amazing!" _Natsu practically shouted before Lucy stiffened and whacked her hand at the back of his head. Wincing in pain, the young man groaned and pouted to the blonde. "What was that for, huh?"

Her cheeks pink, Lucy crossed her arms. "Don't go telling people that I cook! You'll hurt Mira-san's feelings if you say that!" she hissed darkly as the two made their way to the bar, closer to Mirajane and her fiance. Looking to the white haired woman, Lucy offered a shy smile. "Sorry about that, Mira-san…"

"Oh, I'm very much used to it," she smiled sweetly in response. "Natsu's been like this ever since he was itty bitty. It's just nice to finally have mornings without Natsu waking Laxus up."

The blonde man with the jagged scar grunted and glared over to the two. "It's 'bout time that the little shit stayed out of my bed. Feel sorta sorry that you have to deal with it now, kid," he said heartlessly, making Lucy cringed and bite back her anger. She wondered how Mirajane and Laxus were planning on getting married when they're polar opposites.

Mirajane lightly flicked her finger to Laxus's nose. "Now, now, I'm sure Lucy-chan and Natsu are getting along just fine, even with Natsu's little habit of crawling into bed."

"It's not a _little _habit, Mira!" Laxus gaped at her, and she simply giggled and waved it off. Pointing a finger to the salmon colored man, Laxus ignored how Natsu glared at him. "The shit always wakes me up atop of me, like he's a dog and I'm the freakin' bed!"

"Oi, it's not just you, moron," Gray snapped from the other end, startling Lucy and making Natsu swing his head to the other side boredly, sticking his tongue out to him. "Hothead would sneak into my place and try to get snuggly with me, too!"

"Not my fault!" Natsu whined and crossed his arms. "I've tried everything to stop it, but nothing ever works! Besides, Luce is a lot nicer to me than any of you, dorks! She throws shoes at me."

Lucy was about to stop him when both men blinked and finally nodded in agreement. Mirajane whispered casually to the blonde how Laxus tried to stab Natsu at one point waking up, and Gray tried to throw him out his bedroom window. Lucy paled and glanced to Natsu, who didn't seem affected by it. Once Laxus started offering Lucy ideas, perhaps mouse-traps? Tying Natsu to a flagpole? Gray rolled his eyes and left the bar to check Levy's work, making Lucy and Natsu excuse themselves quickly before following him.

The dark haired man twitched at seeing the two scurry after him. "What do you guys think you're doing?" he snapped, but Natsu grinned cheekily at him in response while Lucy ignored them both. Lucy learned pretty quickly that Gray is Natsu's best friend, there is no doubt about it, but the way their friendship works out is by constantly fighting or bickering with each other. Trying to get under their skins was their best way to communicate and get along, even though Lucy has trouble trying to be the same. Gray, however, seems to already accept her as a pal already, so she didn't need to try too hard.

"Gray!" Levy cheered happily upon seeing him enter, with Lucy and Natsu in tow, which made her brighten even more. "Lulu-chan! Natsuuu, did you come to see if you needed some weapons for today?"

"Mm? What's today, Levy-chan?" Lucy blinked at the mechanic, who began unbuttoning her welding suit and slipping her arms out of the sleeves.

"I thought Erza or Makarov told you guys last night," Levy frowned, tying her sleeves around her waist. "Weren't you guys awake?"

"Nah, we crashed after we dumped trash out from cleaning," Natsu boasted and swung his hands behind his head. He looked to be very proud of himself. "It took days, but we did it! We practically fell asleep by ten, isn't that funny?"

Levy rolled her eyes with an amused smile on her face. "Well, Makarov announced that there's a job today, and she's putting you two plus Erza and Jellal on the menu. Seemed pretty serious, so I guess he went for S-Class only."

"Aren't you an S-Class, too, Gray?" Lucy looked to the dark haired man with a raised brow. The man nodded and jerked his chin towards the car that was missing the driver's door.

"The job requires partners, and my ride is being fixed right now, so I can't officially ride," Gray explained with a bored tone. "There's a race that's going to happen tonight, though, along with the job opportunity and the whole garage wants to go as support for the gang. Levy included," he looked to the short woman, who beamed with excitement.

"And no one bothered to wake me up?" Natsu gaped.

"Of course we tried to wake you up, but you must've been sleeping like a rock," Erza's voice came from behind, making everyone turn to see the red head woman dressed in a crop top and torn jeans with boots. Next to her was Jellal, Lucy remembers, her husband dressed in a black t-shirt and a dark pair of jeans with his hands in his pockets. He was usually the quiet type from the other times she has seen him, but was fairly polite to Lucy overall.

"Erza wanted to bust inside," Jellal said coolly, "but I knew you two probably didn't want her seeing you two...you know…"

Lucy flushed at the face while Natsu scoffed. "Not like I was doing anything bad to her," he responded with a pout. Looking to Erza, Natsu cocked his head to the side. "So what's the job we're going to do?"

"Simple highjack of a train car carrying drugs, if I remember right," Erza said calmly, while Lucy gasped horridly at the response. "There's a private investor that's wanting to test out the gangs and pick out one to hire. Makarov wants us to participate and see if we can direct the employee with any major drug industries."

"The narcotics are suppose to be heading to a rivaling drug lord, and the person whose wanting drivers to get it for him wants to put him out of business," Jellal went on, looking to the small group of young adults listening. "The train we're suppose to target is passing through a specific route, so we came up with a plan that will have myself and Lucy, if she wishes to participate, to get in and grab it. After, we return to the meeting space given to deliver and receive a reward."

"How much?" Gray asked, genuinely curious.

"About three thousand to each driver to gets a package," Erza answered, watching as Lucy's jaw dropped. Smiling, the redhead turned to the blonde. "Trust me, Lucy, that's rather small compared to other jobs we do here. Besides, the police department have been looking to the drug lord's case for a while now; if we can also snag the one driving the delivery, we may be able to get extra."

"But who's participating with us?" Natsu blurted.

"Phantom Lord, of course. Trinity Raven and Blue Pegasus are the ones who responded to the job." Erza closed her eyes for a moment, as if trying to think of more details. "Jose will obviously have Gajeel and Juvia, and perhaps a couple more from their pack; Ichiya is sending out his three usual boys, and I'm not too sure about Trinity Raven…"

"If anything, that gang will try to attack the others once they've seen that they got what we're looking for," Jellal crossed his arms and Erza shifted her weight to one leg and pressed her side to her husband. "Since this is Lucy's first job, you can just stay in Natsu's car and pretend to have the package to drive them off. You're still getting used to things here, right?"

"U-uh… No! I can help out, no problem!" Lucy stammered, having all eyes on her as she struggled to keep herself together. Swallowing thickly, her brown eyes darted to Natsu, who was being patient yet concerned for her. "Really, it's not a big deal. I took self-defense a few years back for a little bit, and I was really good in gym in high school."

"This isn't some obstacle course, Luce," Natsu reminded her slowly. "You can get seriously hurt, if you're not careful."

"Says the one who drives like a maniac on energy drinks," Lucy retorted coolly, earning a snarky laugh from Gray and a smile from Erza and Jellal. Looking to the man with the tattooed face, Lucy clenched her fists close to her chest. "I can help you out, Jellal. I gotta get use to the ropes here sooner or later, right?"

Erza looked to Jellal with a concerned spark in her eyes, yet said nothing as she offered a smile to the blonde with a slow nod. Grabbing her husband's hand, Erza gently tugged him to follow her with their hands tangled. "Be sure to prepare for today, then. We have to head out at three, but I wish to leave early."

"Lucy," Natsu started, "I -!"

"Ya hear that, Lucy? Your first official job!" Cana sang, twirling into the automotive area with a bottle of beer in her hand. "Let Cana-neesan fix you up, okay? M'gonna make you look like a real race-chick, got it?"

"Cana, why are you drinking now?" Gray snapped at the gurgling woman, who hushed with a finger to her lips and muttering that he's going to wake everyone up. Gray rolled his eyes and waved her off. "You better hope Gildarts doesn't know about this - I thought you were cutting down."

"It's beer, not rum this time," Cana slurred with a cheeky grin. Now that Lucy could see it, the young woman didn't seem as drunk as she usually was, probably because she grew a tolerance for things with light alcohol. Swinging her long, wavy brown hair - whacking Gray with her locks in the process, causing him to sputter - the chick looked her over, humming in the process. "Sooo, I think you're okay, but change your top to one of Mira's, got it? I know she has a laced bra top that's blue with gold trimming. It'll look nice with Natsu's ride. He has gold sparkles on the flames of his car, so wear that."

"That's too revealing, isn't it? We're racing, not trying to attract anyone!" Lucy blushed deeply, her hands instinctively coming up to hold her breasts. "I-I tried that on, and it's really revealing on my chest, Cana."

"Truuust Cana-neesan!" Cana licked her lips. "You gotta look like you're serious about the races and jobs, so you gotta dress as sexy as you can. Ya saw some of the girls from the other night, right? Like that, but you'll make it look twenty times better with that body of yours."

Lucy's face went red as she crossed her arms over herself, and Cana smirked. "If you don't," Cana purred cutely into Lucy's ear, "then I'll put it on for you, and I won't let you out of the car until it's on!"

"I will, jeez!" Lucy shrieked and Cana snuggled up to her. She learned fairly quickly that Cana was very affectionate to other girls when intoxicated, but she's also a lady of her word, sober or not. Looking to Natsu, who was oblivious to the whole ordeal, as usual, Lucy sighed. "I'm going to go and get the top, Natsu…"

"Ah? 'Kay!" the young man grinned and dove into Gray's car, sitting in the leather interior and grasping the wheel. He seemed to have forgotten what he wanted to say before Cana interrupted him, his whole attention of sprouting ideas to Gray about changing his car, who in return threatened him to get the hell out of his ride so Levy could fix it.

Sighing, Lucy shook her head before going back to their apartment to find that top Cana ordered her to wear. She knew where it was, in one of the drawers Natsu gave her to stash her clothes in...but she still wasn't sure if she would look normal with it on.

Despite Mirajane and Lucy being the same size, even in breasts, it felt so _constricting _on Lucy's boobs!

.

.

.

"Natsu, what's this?" Lucy blinked as she buckled her seatbelt, only to have a little box shoved in her face by her driving partner. Looking at it, it was poorly wrapped in material of newspaper that he obviously tried to do himself with _Luce _written in sharpie on top of the comics. Taking the small, rectangular box, Lucy raised a brow at him with suspicion.

The young man frowned and retracted his arm. "I was hoping to give it to you _later, _once you're comfortable taking jobs like this," he said lowly, crossing his arms as he watched her unwrap the newspaper. "But, I think now would be the best time to have it, since anything can happen on a train."

Opening the small cardboard box, Lucy pulled out a small taser that would easily buckle to her belt loops of her shorts. Blinking, Lucy looked it over and saw that the taser was decorated with stickers of glittery stars and a couple hearts, making Lucy imagine Natsu trying to place them on the tool with a concentrated look on his face.

"You know how to use it, right?" Natsu asked, jerking his chin to it as Lucy looked back to him. "It should be charged with a full battery. I asked Mira if she had any leftover stickers from when she went crazy for scrapbooking, you know, to make it look nicer."

"Why are you giving me a taser?" she asked softly, looking it over again and mentally counted the stickers.

Natsu sighed and ran his hands through his salmon colored hair. "I know how you feel about guns and bombs and all that, so I figured a taser would be better for you to deal with until you're more comfortable. You do get that you're going to jump onto a train, right? There is a high chance that there will be people trying to guard, and I can't be in there to watch you, since I'm driving the car…"

Lucy smiled at him and rolled in her seat to balance on her hip, buckling the taser to a loop on her shorts so he could see it. A faint blush was on her cheeks as she grinned at him. "I'll be fine, Natsu," she assured him. "I took gymnastics for a while and I've done some crazy things whenever I got out of the house in high school. Even if it's a moving train, it won't be much different as jumping cliffs and exploring caves with no ropes."

"I just don't want you to get hurt, Luce," Natsu grumbled and started the car. He had changed a while ago into dark red jeans and a black sleeveless shirt that clung to his hard body pretty tightly. "It's your first job, and I have no idea why Gramps would call you to do it. Not like I'm talking down about you or anything, but we are suppose to be a _gang, _remember?"

"I know, and I'm not going to get hurt," Lucy's brown eyes softened at seeing him being tense and stiff, which was new to Lucy having someone worry for her openly like this. It felt nice. "Jellal said he'd take care of me, as ordered by Erza, if anything were to happen. Him and Erza looked at the case file of where it's the safest place to enter the train, so I'm not doubting them."

Natsu sighed again, but didn't say anything. Lucy perked and hugged her legs up to the seat. "And you're going to be driving, right? You'll catch me if I have to jump off of the train because of a bomb, or something, wouldn't you?"

"Of course I would!" he exclaimed, hitting the gas as he sped out into the road. Lucy took a peek in the rearview mirror to see the last remaining members of the garage getting ready to head out to the destination: an abandoned parking lot outside of the city that is close to the rail tracks, as ordered by the anonymous employer to group up. "No way would I let you fall or get hurt, Luce. I hate to sound like a hounding mother and all, but please, _please _be careful!"

"You got it, Natsu. I'll make sure to stay with Jellal the whole time and I'll use the taser on anyone who tries to get to me," Lucy gave him a thumbs up, adjusting the straps of the small backpack on her shoulders, instructed by Erza to carry the packages easier than by hand. "It's going to be fine. I'll be tough as you and kick some ass. You've done stuff like this before, right? Jumping on trains and stuff."

"Trains, trucks, trailers...and every job I did on foot was pretty difficult," Natsu sighed again. "Although...a few times I've kinda got into it with Gray while we were suppose to get these other guys, and they were just as confused. Erza would get mad about that, and scare the crap out of us."

"Damn it, Natsu…"

"There was also this one time Gray left his pants while we were suppose to be sneaking in and out of this trailer that was carrying guns, and we had to do back and get them because the idiot has a freakin' stripping habit," Natsu said outloud, shrugging. "Then, we couldn't find his freakin' pants, and we started arguing and we didn't realize that the guards showed up."

Lucy snorted. "Then what happened?" she asked.

"We took care of them eventually, but they stood there like idiots watching us… They thought that ice prick and I were a couple, or something," Natsu gagged. "I don't want to talk about it anymore, please, Luce."

Lucy nodded and turned on the radio, twisting the knob to the station that connected Natsu's Lancer with Erza's Toyota Supra, where they could hear Jellal and Erza conversing. "Erza!" Lucy chirped with a bright grin on her face.

"Oh, Lucy," the red head spoke with a small amount of surprise. "Are you two on your way?"

"Yeah," Natsu answered, spinning the wheel to take a sharp turn to a new dirt road, letting Lucy to be able to see the city skyline from her passenger window. "So, what's the deal on the job, then? Did Jason give anymore details?"

The blond man from the recruiting race, Jason, works as the racing coordinator and announcer for jobs that are opened to the gangs, as well as the only one to meet the employers face-to-face with rules and guidelines for the work being handed out. Jason acts like a paparazzi reporter, but with cars and girls and pounding music instead of camera flashing and invading celebrities space - his whole personality just screamed _Cool! Cool! Cooool! _and Lucy wondered if he was a reporter for a star magazine at one point. Even then, she wondered how someone like Jason got mixed up with the whole gang life and nighttime races and crime.

Looking back to Natsu talking to Erza through the radio, Lucy listened in. "The cars are separated by gates, which will make it easy for you two to get in through the doors. Jellal can open the doors, if they're locked," Erza spoke. "Jason sent out photos of the train to the Masters, but no one knows which car has the drugs in, so that will be a challenge. You'll have to search the whole train, probably."

"Is it guarded?" Natsu asked tensely. Lucy saw how his hands gripped the wheel a bit tighter. "Could you guys tell at all, or Jason?"

"We can only expect a few inside," Jellal answered. "Don't worry, it's a simple job, Natsu. I'm pretty sure Lucy can handle it."

"And Jellal can watch over her," Erza said strongly, just like a mother, and Lucy smiled a bit at that. "It's not going to be anything new to us, anyway. She's as safe, as a piece of cake, Natsu."

"But -!"

"I swear to God, Natsu, if you think either Jellal or myself would let a precious girl like Lucy get touched by disgusting thugs, I'm going to rip your pink hair out in chunks!" Erza snapped with venom, making both Natsu and Lucy freeze in their seats. "Listen now, got it?"

"Yes, ma'am!" both of them chanted out together.

"Jellal is going to head up onto the car first, then Lucy will follow so he can catch her," Erza said sternly. "We're going to try to head to the front, so follow me on the way there and don't get trashed. The goal is to get the goods and deliver them back to Jason first, then we get hired by the employer and figure out the face. That's what Master Makarov wants."

"When I get onto the train, Natsu," Jellal called out, "bring yours to have Lucy be able to climb out the window, and I'll pull her up. Lucy, you can sit on the window, right?"

"Yeah, no problem," Lucy nodded confidently, making Natsu steal a glance to her before looking back to the road, where a faint light and humming cars were starting to erupt as they got closer.

Natsu slowed down and entered the lot, where they could see Jason atop the hood of the convertible and speaking through a megaphone, just as he did the last time. Lucy could pick out Erza's decorated car, covered with a armor-like pattern of metal feathers across the doors to the back fender. Lucy was surprised to see motorbikes this time, and the riders heavily dressed in leather and safety padding on their heads, elbows and knees with their steel-toe boots.

Natsu parked where he pleased, in the middle of the second line and between the motorcycles. Lucy saw Erza and Jellal outside of their ride and leaning against their ride, along with some other colorful characters while other people grouped in clusters with music and on the sides and small tables with drinks and food. To Lucy, it could probably be like a giant barbecue to any passing trucks, trains or whoever saw this taking place with the sun setting in the day. She had to admit it with the underground racers: they were completely capable of making jobs and obvious illegal activity look like a friendly get-together.

Turning off his car and disconnecting the radio, Natsu got himself out of the ride and stretched. Lucy watched him kick out his legs before bending like a stick to give her that ball-of-sunshine smile. "C'mon out with me, Luce. You'll like it, I promise," he told her brightly, making Lucy remember at how serious he was just a moment before about her being on this job, but now he's all excited. Tilting her head at him with a firm line to her lips, Lucy raised a brow at him in a silent question in regards to it. "Lets not make a big deal about this...Save it for later, 'kay?"

"You won't worry about this?" Lucy asked him, crossing her arms.

Natsu rocked his head. "Worry about you? No, I'm gonna worry, whether you like it or not, but I won't tell you you can't do this, because I know you can," he shook his head with a pout on his lips. "I do think you can do it, Luce. I just don't want to see you get hurt - it's your first job, you know, and yeah."

Her eyes narrowed. "You promise you trust me, Natsu?"

He smiled brightly, with true honesty. "Cross my heart! Now come on out. Sue's out here with Juvia, and you haven't met her yet."

Sighing, Lucy let out a smile as she got herself out of the passenger seat and hurried around the car to catch up to Natsu's side. Her smile grew a little more when he started jumping on his feet and started guiding her to the small group of one of the spare cars Levy had for the gang members to ride over to the lot, the one Lucy knew that Gray had drove himself, Levy, Elfman and Lisanna over.

All of them were in the front of the car, Lucy saw, along with an unfamiliar woman who Levy was hugging tightly and snuggling. Her hair was almost the same shade as Levys', but far more longer and wavy compared to the mechanic. The woman was a bit paler than Levy, and she was wearing a dark purple bra-top and shorts with heeled shoes that added on a good inch. Approaching the group, Natsu grasped Lucy's wrist and hurried over to join them, catching the attention of Gray, who was leaning against the hood with his arms crossed.

"It's 'bout time you made it, flamebrain," Gray called out to his friend with a frown. "You're almost on time."

"Shut up, ice prick!" Natsu snapped back before looking to the two young women with blue hair. "Juvia! Oi, Juvia, I want you to meet someone!"

Levy detached herself from the other woman, smiling brightly as she waved to the new arrivals. "Lulu-chan, come here! I want you to meet Juju-chan," she bounced in her own heels, dressed in a orange sundress. "Well, her name is not _Juju_, of course, but it's like your nickname, Lulu-chan!" Levy grinned with a tint to her cheeks.

The woman, who appeared to be Lucy's age, turned with her hands tangled in front of her. Her eye makeup was smokey, bringing out her pretty dark-blue eyes as she offered a small smile of greeting to the blonde.

Natsu wrapped an arm around Lucy's shoulders, as well as giving a thumbs up. "Juvia, this is my new partner," he announced proudly, making Lucy's cheeks flame in embarrassment. "This is Lucy!"

Juvia smiled at Lucy, bowing her head a little bit. "Hello, Lucy-san," she greeted politely, raising her head back up to tilt. "My name is Juvia Lockser. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Levy-chan was just telling Juvia about you!"

Noticing her slight odd of speech, Lucy blinked and offered a small smile in return. "N-nice to meet you, too…"

Levy snickered proudly as she wrapped her arms around Juvia's elbow. "Juju-chan is my cousin, Lulu-chan," she stated proudly. "Our moms were sisters, if you can't tell some of the family resemblance by now, but Juju-chan is one hell of a racer!"

"Yeah," Lucy remembered suddenly. "You were the one who broke Gray's car, right? With a stabbing weapon, or something."

Juvia's cheeks reddened as she heard Gray grunt from behind, looking anywhere else but at the blonde. "W-well, yes, Juvia is the one who speared Gray-sama's car the other night," she stuttered, fiddling with her fingers as Levy grinned bigger and leaned herself on her cousin. "But she didn't mean to! J-Juvia just wanted to… Uhm, J-Juvia was just doing her job!"

"And you did great with it!" Natsu snickered, glaring darkly at Gray. "Kinda wish now that ice princess was racing again tonight, so I could've seen it in action."

"Shut up, hothead," Gray snapped stiffly.

"Why am I the hothead when you're the one shirtless, ice princess?" Natsu snorted when Gray stiffened and looked down to see him stripped of his leather coat. Lucy noticed the same tattoo Natsu had under Gray's left collarbone, but black in color. Gray prickled and looked around to find his coat back inside the car.

"The hell did that get there?" Gray grunted and Juvia bit back a squeal as she covered her eyes and Levy laughed noisily. Snapping his head between himself and Juvia's reaction, Gray stammered and rolled off of the hood to scramble to where his coat was.

"Juju! Juju! Open your eyes," Levy teased and tried to pry her cousin's hands from covering her eyes. "Come ooon, Juju-chan! You've seen Gray shirtless before - pantsless even! It's nothing new!"

"Don't tease Juvia, Levy-chan!" Juvia whined softly as she noticed Lucy watching her with wide eyes. She stiffened at being stared at, and covered her eyes again. "Ohh, and now Lucy-chan thinks Juvia as a-a...a fangirl of Gray-sama, or something!"

"What? I-I don't!" Lucy jumped and smacked Natsu when he started laughing at the whole situation. "Shut up, Natsu! Juvia, no, I think you're pretty nice. Don't cry!"

"So, yeah, anyway!" Natsu snickered with Levy, waving a hand in front of his face. "Juvia, what'cha think about Luce here?"

Sniffing, Juvia covered her mouth with her hands instead, and looked to the two. Nodding, Juvia gave a watery smile to the blonde, cocking her head to the side with Levy, who was grinning brightly. "Juvia thinks that Natsu-san's partner is very sweet. Juvia likes Lucy-chan already…" Collecting herself, Juvia cleared her throat and stood straight with Levy, who was still clinging to her bare arm with both hands. "Juvia will make sure that Lucy-chan gets a milkshake when she visits the bar."

"Great!" Natsu smiled. "Can you also do me another favor, too, Juvia? I promise I'll make it up to you." His tone suddenly went serious, as his expression went blank. Lucy looked up from his hold and could tell where it was going.

"Mm?" Juvia blinked, taking a glance to Levy who shrugged. "What is it, Natsu-san?"

"Natsu, please don't," Lucy nudged an elbow to his belly very softly.

"Can you just make sure, whatever happens on the job tonight, that Luce here doesn't get hurt at all?" he asked, staring at Juvia with wide eyes.

"Natsu! J-Juvia, don't mind him," Lucy blushed darkly as the blue-haired women blinked to each other. Juvia looked between Natsu and Lucy with a raised brow. "It's just my first job and all, and he thinks something will -!"

"Of course Juvia will make sure Lucy-chan is safe," Juvia smiled sweetly, clapping her hands together lightly. "Anyone from the Fairy Tail gang is a friend of Juvia's, Natsu-san."

"It doesn't have to be big or anything," Natsu shrugged, ignoring how Lucy was frozen in shock by Juvia's willing response. "Like, if someone is trying to shoot at her, or push her out of the train…"

"Natsu, please -!"

"It is no problem for Juvia, whatsoever," she raised a hand to silence him. Looking to Lucy, Juvia offered a kind smile to her, her eyes soft like she was looking back in time. "Juvia remembers when she did her first job, and it was somewhat like this. Juvia was very lucky to have Nii-chan around, though, so Juvia understands where Natsu-san is coming from."

"Speaking of your brother," Gray's voice interjected them, coming back with his coat on, but not zipped this time, "you should probably get back to him, Juvia."

"Juvia is aware of the job, Gray-sama," Juvia pouted to him. "She doesn't need to hear any more of the crap they talk about - Juvia left that to Nii-chan, since he's driving."

"Yeah, but they're going to finish soon and then he'll be looking for ya," Gray reminded her, and the woman sighed in understanding.

"But, Gray-sama..." she whined and Lucy couldn't help but think about how cute she sounded. "Juvia wants Levy-chan to see Nii-chan, too, before we all have to go home!"

"We can hang out some other time, Juju-chan," Levy winked to her cousin. "Don't worry about it this time, m'kay? Do your best tonight, for me - and remember to get enough sleep! You haven't been sleeping well, have you? You look dark under your eyes!"

"It's Juvia's makeup, Levy-chan," Juvia smiled warily, hugging her cousin tightly to her. She was happy when she returned it. Taking a step back, she nodded to Natsu and Lucy and gave them a small wave. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lucy-chan. Don't worry about tonight...you're going to do just great!"

Hurrying off to the lined cars, Juvia was out of ear's reach when Lucy finally popped the question. "So that's Gray's girlfriend? She's very nice!"

"Yeah, I told ya Juvia-chan's the pal!" Natsu grinned to her, finally unwrapping his arm from her shoulder. "And she promised milkshakes… We gotta go get Gramps to hold an appointment soon, before she forgets."

"Juvia never forgets -! Wait! She's not my girlfriend, you asshole!" Gray growled at him. "You askin' for a asskicking?"

"Maybe after the race, Gray!" Natsu stuck out his tongue to him and grasped Lucy's wrist. "Luce and I got a job to do and you don't! Suck on that, ice prick!" He hauled Lucy away and back towards their car, where the drivers were getting into their rides and began to start their engines. The bikers readied themselves, some with a passenger behind them and others without, and Jason stomped his foot on the hood of the convertible to get attention.

"Alriiight! Ya all ready for tonight's race, everybody?" he shouted through the microphone as Lucy and Natsu dropped into their seats, pulling the doors shut. "Make way out of the front line, folks! The train is 'bout to get here!" The driver of the car Jason was standing on slowly went in reverse and pulled them back to the sidelines.

Natsu quickly started the car and amped up the volume of the radio. "Yo Erza!"

"Okay, Natsu," Erza's voice spoke through the speakers, making Lucy's heart start speeding up because _this is the time. _"You know what to do, right? Follow me and let Jellal onto the train first, and get to the front. Then, Lucy will get on the train with Jellal's help, as promised."

"Got it," both Lucy and Natsu said together.

"On my signal, you cool drivers need to make a break for it, cool?" Jason spoke joyously, throwing his fist up into the air. "Trains come by fast and they sure as hell won't slow down for us!"

"This is it…" Lucy whispered to herself, the corners of her lips twitching with excitement and adrenaline. "My first official race!"

"You're gonna do great, as long as you're careful, Luce," Natsu smiled to her. "Don't forget my present, m'kay? If anyone tries to come after you, and it's not Jellal or Juvia and they look like they're gonna hurt ya, I want you to taze the shit outta them."

"Roger that, captain," Lucy saluted before colliding her palm to his open one, a given gesture of a high-five.

"Be readyyy!" Jason yelled over the sound of engines and cheers of the crowd behind them.

The sound of the megaphone siren went off suddenly, making Lucy jump in her seat as Natsu hit the gas with his right foot, both hands gripping the wheel tightly as all the cars surrounding them kicked up dust and gravel and took off down the lot and into the large ditch and Lucy couldn't help but watch in fascination as everyone outside the car was driving gracefully; the bikers keeping absolutely straight as they sped and weaved through the little openings left in the ditch before pulling back behind Natsu's car.

"It's like I thought," Erza's voice radiated off the radio. "They're waiting for someone to come out to grab the drugs. Natsu, keep an eye on them for me - and don't be shy if they try anything on us, got it?."

Natsu peeked to his rearview mirror sternly, dark eyes returning to snap at the trail ahead of them. "Got it."

Ahead of the packs of cars and motorbikes, Lucy could make out the familiar lights of a train rolling into view. It looked to be a simple traveling train, with all it's lights on in the cars in front. She could see that all their curtains were drawn to a close, frowning at the small idea of probably seeing the thing they were looking for through the windows being terminated in her head.

"That's it over there?" she asked, suddenly regretting at how childish she sounded.

"Yeah, that's it," Jellal answered to her. "We're going to the first car behind the driver, Lucy. There's a gate that we can get on easily and more safely."

The twist of the herd of cars opened into spreaded pairs. Natsu, of course, started to head after Erza's Toyota Supra, and Lucy watched as a black Dodge Challenger Hellcat's window roll down and Juvia's long hair flowed out as the young woman began to climb halfway, sitting on the window.

"Whoa!" Lucy gasped and gripped Natsu's scarf, lightly tugging for his attention. "W-wait, what's Juvia _doing?_"

"What she usually does," Natsu chuckled, keeping his eyes on the road as he passed the Hellcat, where Juvia raised a hand in the air and summoned a Nissan Silvia, where Lucy could see Sue and and Boze inside. Lucy saw that Juvia has a black backpack on, in contrast to Lucy's pink on, and she could guess that Sue did too, since Boze was the one driving. "They're probably going to try and take off the other drivers by going the opposite way, most likely to throw off Trinity Raven."

"Where are they?" Lucy asked.

"In the back with Blue Pegasus," Erza's voice and Lucy followed and saw a Dodge slowing down behind the motorcycles, who sped up frantically and out of their way. "They're not going to waste time getting onto the train, so there's nothing to worry about."

"They're that bad, huh…" Lucy hummed and sat back in her seat, seeing how Natsu inhaled sharply and had an angry look on his brow.

"They tried killing us last time they participated in a race a month back," Natsu explained briefly. "Gray got a sick scar to prove it. He was just lucky that Mira is taking medical schooling, or he may have been done for."

"What happened?" Lucy gasped, raising a hand to her lips.

"Stabbed twice below his ribs and nearly pierced an artery. He couldn't leave the couch for a good week and Juvia and Totomaru got really worried for him," Natsu rolled up behind Erza's ride that made it to the designated area where they were going to enter. "I remember Gray asking me to visit Juvia and make sure she was okay, and she was upset to hear that he got hurt. She didn't know how bad though, and the fuckin' idiot snuck out before Mira could say so to get a drink!"

"Don't go talking bad about Gray now, Natsu," Erza spoke sternly. Lucy looked up to see Jellal climbing out of the passenger window and onto the hood, making her heart thud against her chest. "You're on the job right now."

Lucy watched as Jellal crawled across Erza's decorated hood, using the armor to set his footing before hooking a leg into the driver's window. She could barely see Erza's hand grip onto Jellal's leg as he professionally hung the upper half of his body out and grasped the bar gate of the walkway. Lucy nearly screamed in shock when Erza let go and Jellal kicked himself off of Erza's car and she sped away from the train while her husband climbed over the gate.

"Oh my God!" Lucy heaved and tightened her hands into shaking fists.

Erza's chuckle made her flush. "Impressed, Lucy?" she asked through the radio. "Okay, Natsu. It's Lucy's turn."

"M'kay, Luce," Natsu nodded once as he made his way up where Jellal was waiting. "You're going to climb over me and go out the window; I'll have a hold on you until Jellal can pick you up, okay?" He glanced to see her still with wide eyes at him.

Swallowing, Lucy nodded to him and proceeded to climb over him when he opened an arm for her, urging her to his lap. She bit her lip as the window rolled down and the gust of speeding wind hit her face. Her chest was hurting now, with her blood pumping and heart hammering. Looking at the distance between the window and Jellal, it looked miles apart…

_I don't think I can do this..! _her thoughts screamed inside her head.

"Oi, Luce. Look at me," Natsu's breath tickled her neck, making Lucy shiver as she slowly turned her head. His eyes were sharp, but he had a toothy grin on his face.

In that moment, Lucy felt that same fluttering hum in her belly, like when she and Natsu crossed the finish line. That feeling of how everything in Lucy's world was going perfectly, and nothing could stop her from doing the impossible.

"I believe in you, Luce, 'kay?" he told her brightly, his head tilting to the side. "You got this in the bag. I'll be waiting for you out here when you're done, okay? You're gonna be fine, I promise."

Her heart slowed down to a normal rate, and Lucy smiled bravely. "Yeah!" she nodded before grasping the rim of the car, bringing herself out halfway. She could feel Natsu switch arms, wrapping his strong muscles around both of her thighs and holding her in place as she twisted herself around, arms reaching out to the blue-haired man.

Jellal round their arms, gripping her biceps in a vise-like clench. "When I say so, support your feet on these railing and kick yourself up," he instructed in a shout for her to hear, and Lucy gave a curt nod and readied herself, feeling the adrenaline spike through her body and soul.

"Now!"

Natsu let go of Lucy's legs and she slipped out of the window fully and flipped her legs to land her feet on each rail. Lucy could hear Natsu letting out a shout of cheer as his flaming car pulled away from her, and she used her feet to kick hard.

Jellal lifted Lucy over to railing, catching her quick enough to place her gently on her feet. Until she found balance, Lucy let go of the breath she was holding and grinned brightly. Looking over, Lucy saw Natsu giving her a brief thumbs up before speeding off with Erza, and she waved quickly before looking up to Jellal.

"You did good, kid," Jellal nodded with approval. "You ready to get in and get working?"

Lucy's world was lit up with colors and fireworks. Stepping back from Jellal, Lucy held up her fists to her chest. "Let's go!"

With a nod, Jellal grabbed the latch of the car's door and yanked it open, and both of them slipped into the train to obtain their objective.

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=xxx=

AUTHOR'S ENDING NOTE - Trains can vary speed from 150-250 mph usually, so try to think of jumping from a car to a train at that speed. Whoo, adrenaline rush! c:

Remember to Review, Follow, Favorite or whatever pleases you. Hearing from you guys make me happy. Have a wonderful day!


	5. Chapter 5

This chapter goes out to Raphiix3, and all of the wonderful reviewers who have left me heartwarming message. You are all very sweet, and I appreciate every one of you guys who take the time to read. Thank you all for taking the time to read; I put a lot of effort and time into trying to make every chapter work out, and it means a lot to me when I hear that people are enjoying it.

Remember to Review, Follow, Favorite or have a wonderful day. Kitty loves you all and wishes you all to be happy and healthy! Enjoy!

=xxx=

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R_i_**d**e '_**e**_m _H_**a**r_**d**_

Chapter Five

The first train car was empty when Lucy and Jellal entered through. It was some high-class lounging car that would have obviously house a party with champagne, or a group party for a special occasion, no doubt. It was lit with lights and decorated with red velvet couches and trimmings. On top of the couches, on the cushions, where filing boxes stacked with paper and folders. Lucy fixed the straps of her backpack as she went over to one of the couches and looked at the papers.

"What are these?" Lucy asked outloud, glancing over to Jellal scanning the rest of the car before pulling out his small handgun that he kept in his pocket. Lucy was comfortable with Jellal holding the gun or even using it...as long as it didn't hit her, at least.

Jellal looked at the files and shrugged boredly. "Order forms, probably. Drug dealers sometimes do stuff like that...keeps things organized for them," he explained while preparing himself to go towards the back door.

Lucy then peeked at the table next to the couches, seeing three, thick files with a giant red circle marked on the covers. Jellal saw her looking around before smiling to himself. "You're quite a curious one, aren't you?" he teased, causing Lucy to nearly drop one of the files she picked up from the table. "They probably put down the names of their clients and where to deliver them to. It's a very long process and probably very boring for you, Lucy. I wouldn't waste too much time on them."

"You know a lot about this, don't you?" Lucy huffed at his teasing. "It's like you've done stuff like that before."

Jellal chuckled. "Well, yeah, when you're growing up smuggling drugs for the bad guys for the sake of your life, you kinda learn a thing or two about them."

Lucy stilled and stared at Jellal, who seemed unfazed by what he just said. "What?"

Jellal met her stare with a polite smile. "My wife and I were raised in the same gang as kids, and we did jobs that cops wouldn't think children would take part of, like drugs and stuff," he explained briefly. "It wasn't a pretty childhood, I'll be honest, but we definitely got in trouble once we were able to leave together. Makarov found us when we just got out and offered us to join Fairy Tail, and we've been working on our record ever since."

"I'm…"

"Don't worry about it, Lucy," Jellal shook his head. "You gotta learn about some of our bad past sometime, right? You know Mira's and her siblings already. It's not a sensitive topic in Fairy Tail, to be honest…"

"But still, I shouldn't have -!" Lucy turned to face him, instantly red in the face. She shut up when Jellal raised his free hand to her.

"Erza was planning on telling you eventually, since it seems we will be working now and she wants to be honest with you," he smirked. "My wife isn't used to making impressions on people like you, so she would most likely freak out if she tried telling you herself - she'll mess up her words when she gets flustered." Lucy nearly popped when she heard him mutter at how he thought she was simply adorable when he proposed to her. Apparently the strong redhead nearly passed out and went on a one-person-conversation with herself about how she probably wouldn't live up to Jellal's expectations as a wife and all.

Lucy's grip on the files tightened. She never knew the history of Jellal and Erza, only knowing them as very mature and super nice and accepting of her. For her, she felt a little bit guilty that she was given everything anyone could ask for (which she didn't, and that's what drove her to run away), while her new home were much less fortunate.

Jellal was busy trying to peek through the curtain of the exit, seeing that the next car behind them was closed from prying eyes. Readying his gun, the older man with the facial tattoo thought for a quick moment before calling for the blonde to come over.

Lucy obeyed quickly and approached his back, going to her toes to peek over his shoulder. "We're going to head into the next car, and I want you to stay behind me since you don't have a gun," Jellal explained to her, opening the door and entering the passage to the next one. Lucy followed, staying close behind him. "When I say it's clear, then you can -!"

_BANG!_

Lucy covered her mouth from the scream she was about to let out, and Jellal simply blinked at the noise. Pressing a finger towards his ear, Lucy noticed the earpiece wrapped around the back of his ear - one of those cellphones that stick to your ear - and the blue-haired man nodded before giving Lucy a reassuring smile.

"It's okay," he nodded to her, trying to calm her down. She didn't realize that she was shaking from excitement. Her face was calm, but her eyes and shoulder was tense. "That came from a few cars further down the train. Erza said it was probably Juvia and Sue."

"What was the noise?" Lucy asked in a soft peep, hoping that he heard her.

"Probably a distraction, or they were making their way around," he shrugged, as if it was the most casual thing to ever talk about. "Stay behind me, Lucy."

Lucy did as instructed and watched as Jellal ripped the door open. A muffled shout came from the inside and a quick shot of Jellal's gun made the blonde cover her mouth again before hearing her companion on the inside calling for her. Peeking her head in, Lucy saw a suited man laying on the ground with a shot wound to the shoulder, but passed out.

"Don't worry," Jellal assured her with a hand. The car was filled with boxes and carts with odd characteristics written in black paint. Looking around, Jellal tilt his chin sorely and exhaled. Lucy entered the room, looking around to look at the man exhaling with a gurgle.

"He's passed out," Lucy stated with awe, not minding the little blood coming from his shoulder. Looking up to him, she tilt her head. "You didn't kill him?"

"Don't kill anyone unless they try to kill you first."

"What's the boxes?"

"Cargo, probably," Jellal kicked a corner of one of the stacks of boxes boredly. "Looks Russian, but not what we're looking for. Jason said that the contents would be in bags inside suitcases. Do you see any around?"

"No," Lucy said as she stepped around the unconscious man, glancing around to see if she could spot any suitcase-like material in the cargo hold. With that said, Jellal knelt down and started emptying the man's pockets, only taking the gun that was inside the man's hoister. Lucy watched him leave any money, ID or whatever else that couldn't be used as a weapon before the next door shot open, making them both twist their heads to see two men in the same suit as the one knocked out spotting them. The two security men pulled out their guns and aimed both of them to Lucy and Jellal, making the blonde woman shriek.

Jellal, having kneeled down, was about to bolt up when two loud thunks hit the back of their heads, stunning both men before falling face-first to the floor, where Juvia stood behind with the butts of her guns in the air. Sue was peeking behind her, too, snickering at the two fallen men.

Smiling cutely, the blue-haired woman brought her weapons back to the hoisters attached to her thighs. "That would have been messy, if Juvia didn't make it."

"You go, Juvia-sama!" Sue cheered and hugged the woman from behind with a cheeky grin. "That was so badass! I loved it."

"Hey, Juvia," Jellal nodded in greeting to the waving woman.

"Juvia!" Lucy gasped in shock, seeing how calmly the young woman dealt with the two brutes. She watched as the blue-haired racer crouch down and pick up the two guns the men dropped, looking at them with interest before shoving them into her pockets, like Jellal did a moment ago. "Thank you so much, Juvia! I thought we were gonners for a minute."

"Juvia promised Natsu-san that Lucy-chan would be safe," she responded with a cheeky grin, giving the blonde the peace sign. "And you're Juvia's friend, too, and Juvia doesn't like it when her friends are in danger."

"Juvia-sama is so cool, you have no idea!" Sue cheered with confidence as she gave Juvia room to stand back up. "You should've seen her in the other car, man. She kicked their asses - and I helped! I got a guy right in the kisser!" she clenched her fists, making Lucy notice how she was wearing fingerless gloves with sharp studs on them, a little bit stained. "Did ya hear us, too? Juvia let off one of her sticky bombs to get all the guys over and -!"

"Jellal is wasting his time," Juvia pointed out to the blue-haired man, who was looking to a large crate with large writing. "Those boxes are just food."

"Ahh, then I guess we need to move on," Jellal exhaled, crossing his arms.

"No," Juvia shook her head with a sad frown. "Jellal and Lucy can leave the train now."

Lucy blinked slowly, finally noticing when Sue passed by Juvia to look more into the pockets of the fallen men. The backpacks they were wearing looked stuffed and bulky while the younger woman found bullets and wallets. Juvia used her heeled foot to lightly kick Sue's leg, catching her attention.

"Put that back, Sue-chan," Juvia instructed, making the short-haired woman pout.

"But they have cash in them, Juvia-sama!" Sue whined like a child, and Juvia raised her brow and pointed back to the men and the teen finally complied. "Coulda bought some cool stuff with this, man…"

"They're trash money, and Sue-chan is better than trash," Juvia crossed her arms with a motherly look. Lucy blinked and looked back up to the young woman.

"Juvia, what do you mean we can leave now..?"

"They got the drugs already," Jellal said casually, stepping to Lucy's side. "We have nothing else to do in here."

'_That...is somewhat of a disappointment,' _Lucy's thoughts sighed in her mind. '_I'm just happy to still be alive at this point, though.'_

"Oh...I see," Lucy swallowed and looked down.

"Don't be so glum, Lucy-chan," Juvia's sweet voice caught her attention. "Sue-chan's first job was to help deliver in an underground parking lot, and she believed that there would be gun fighting and all that...but there wasn't. Poor Sue-chan was crabby for a whole week! Wouldn't even eat Juvia's treats."

"Don't go tellin' people about me, Juvia-sama!" Sue blushed darkly, holding her face with both hands.

"If anything, Lucy-chan did a wonderful job so far," Juvia winked, completely ignoring the younger woman's banter to her, even when she stood up and hid her face in her chest. Juvia simply pat Sue's beanie and grinned to her new blonde friend. "Now, we just have to get out of here before everyone wakes up, mm?"

"Do you want to go out our way? It's just in the first car and we haven't been having any trouble up until here" Jellal offered, and he gave a silent response when Juvia shook her head. "Alright, thank you again, Juvia."

"It's no problem, Jellal-san," Juvia cheekily smiled and pulled Sue off of her. "Be careful on the way back, though, Trinity Raven have bikes and cars this time, so there is no telling if they will try and hurt you. They were following close behind Erza-san and Natsu-san when you arrived onto the train when Juvia last saw them."

"Understood," Jellal nodded. "You be careful as well."

Juvia bowed her head and turned at her heels. Sue waved to Lucy in goodbye and followed after the blue-haired woman with a hop in her step, leaving the two Fairy Tail members alone with the unconscious bodies. Lucy flinched when she saw one of the men's foot twitched, making Jellal chuckle and told her it was going to be okay.

Pressing a finger to his earpiece, Jellal waited a second before the other line picked up. "Hey, honey," he said softly, starting to walk back the way they came. Lucy instantly followed him back to the first car and through the entrance they came. "Yes, same place… M'kay."

Lucy's head tilt as she saw Jellal look her way. "Natsu wants to pick you up first, Lucy. Is that alright with you?"

Lucy smiled, somewhat glad at hearing his name. "Sure, no problem."

Jellal smirked and closed the car door, now being in the lounging car that held their way to the exit. Both of them passed the boxes of files and documents over into the opening. Jellal stuck his head out into the gushing wind to see Natsu's car already waiting with the window down. Lucy joined his side and grinned at the sight of Natsu's head sticking out of the car, grinning brightly at the sight of the blonde.

"Hey, Luce!" Natsu cheekily called out. "Come on over. The radio is playing some nice tunes right now!"

Lucy laughed and turned to Jellal. "I'm gonna climb over and hold on to the railing, then I'll go through the driver window, okay? Make sure I don't fall, please."

Jellal nodded and helped Lucy as she hopped over the railing and held her ground from the metal floor. Gripping the railing tightly with both hands, Lucy crouched herself low enough while Jellal gripped her arm. When she turned her head, she was almost nose-to-nose with her partner, who had a cheeky grin.

Natsu stretched out his muscular arm her way, carefully wrapping around her slim waist as she carefully let go one of her hands and gripped the edge of the window. "Good, good," Natsu nodded approvingly when her other hand gripping the railing slid down for her to lean more towards him. Jellal let go of her arm for her to move down far enough. "Keep hold onto the rail and we'll take it nice -!"

A sudden crash hit the back of Natsu's car and Lucy lost her grip on the railing before Jellal could reach her. Natsu held onto Lucy's waist in a vicegrip when the car had to force itself aside and away from the train and she screamed and gripped the window and Natsu's arm for dear life. Looking over, Lucy recognized the old Dodge crashing on Natsu's back fender, keeping up when Natsu twisted the wheel the other way.

"_Fuckin' Trinity Raven!" _Natsu screamed as he gripped Lucy's pants, trying to pull her in. "Hold on, Lucy! Don't freak out!"

Lucy was frozen solid, eyes shut tight as she gripped tighter to his arm and window. She could feel the grains of dirt hitting her bare legs and feel the vibrations of the car against her body. She wasn't freaking out, but she was really frozen on the spot.

"Lucy. Luce! Come on, Luce, look at me!" Natsu's voice urged her repeatedly, but the blonde shook her head and shut her eyes tighter, feeling tears swell up. "Luce, you're not going to get hurt, I pro -!"

Another blow to the back, making Lucy cry out in shock as Natsu tried to pull her in. Natsu mentally cursed when he saw the Dodge pull itself back and readied to hit again when a Dodge Challenger Hellcat raced up with Juvia on the hood, her blue hair flying from the speed.

Natsu's eyes widened when he saw Gajeel bring the car near the enemy and Juvia leapt from her brother's hood and onto Trinity Raven's car. Natsu could barely make out the blue dynamite stick in her mouth as she slammed her heel into the windshield, shattering it. Pulling the stick out of her mouth, Juvia shoved the stick into the wedge of the hood, making it stuck inside the ledge. With a lighter, Juvia held on tightly while the car swerved left and right, barely hitting Gajeel's ride as she got the wick to light up and spark without failure.

Gajeel made it close enough to his sister for her to jump back over to her original hood. With one hand, Juvia signaled her brother to drive over to Natsu's ride, to the driver's door; the Hellcat driver did as instructed, making their way to Lucy's aid.

Juvia flexibly slipped her body back into the passenger seat halfway, her upper body still hanging out as she reached over and grasped Lucy's hips tightly. Gajeel and Natsu kept at the same speed as the blue-haired woman used her arms to lift Lucy's frozen body up, having Natsu take the chance to grab under Lucy's thigh and pull her inside the car.

Natsu's head snapped to the Hellcat with wide eyes as Juvia saluted brightly before sliding into the car. Gajeel wasn't looking their way as Juvia smiled and rolled up the window, speeding off and making a large 'U' turn, going back to the lot. Behind them, a small explosion occurred from Trinity Raven's car as the enemy ride spun into a ditch. Erza's car sped ahead and honked to Natsu, signaling him to stop the car.

As he did so, all with Lucy trembling in his lap, Natsu slowed the car into a stop by a large pile of boulders, seeing how the train began to disappear around it. Parking the ride, Natsu's arms instantly wrapped around Lucy, his head bowed to see her eyes still shut tight and in a ball.

He wiped off a streak of dirt from her cheek and pushed strands of her now-messy away from her face. "Lucy, you okay there? You're not hurt at all, are you?"

Lucy, still shaking, cracked her eye open. "I'm...inside?"

Natsu couldn't help but crack a grin at her, nodding slowly. "Yeah, you're back in the car with me. You're safe now. Remember when I said you were gonna be alright?"

"I'm alright now," she mumbled, nodding when he fixed her on his lap, carefully sitting her up on his lap and pulled her against him. Running his arms up and down her back, trying to soothe her shakes, Natsu kept the smile on his lips. "How did I get in here?"

"Juvia-chan," Natsu said simply. "I guess you were in shock to realize what happened. That's okay, Luce, don't worry about it."

Lucy's trembling eased, and that fuzzy feeling returned into her belly. Exhaling softly, the blonde tightened her hands in her lap and nodded. "I guess you lost your race and the job, Natsu...and it's my fault for not getting the stuff, right?"

"No, I did win," Natsu grinned brightly, making her brown eyes blink up to him. "I won the fact that you made it back in one piece, Lucy. That's what I cared about most for tonight, silly!"

Lucy sniffed back a half-sob-half-laugh as she wiped the dust from her cheeks and wrapped her arms around Natsu's neck, hiding her face in his scarf as he returned her hug with a grateful chuckle.

"Natsu, is Lucy alright?" Erza's voice came on the radio, sounding urgent and worried and it made Lucy grin a bit bigger. She briefly heard Jellal's voice in the back, making her realize that he made it safely to his wife's side.

Natsu leaned back on his chair and exhaled with a relief. "Yeah, she's just a bit shaken up," he said. "She's fine. Juvia and assbutt helped out getting her in."

"Oh, thank God. I saw Trinity Raven's car get hit with a bomb," Erza sighed gruffly. "Gajeel's car is going back to the lot with the drugs, so we should just get back to the garage and check Lucy over."

"'Kay, Erza," Natsu nodded and switched the station to a pop-oriented tune, one of the songs Lucy would be found humming to herself while she helped cleaned the apartment. Tilting his head down to the blonde, he offered a grin. "How about one of Mira's burgers with some fries, and maybe something for dessert. I'll have you pick out what you want, 'kay, Luce?"

"Can I stay here? I still can't feel my legs too well," Lucy flushed with embarrassment. She really can't feel her legs from the adrenaline, but she didn't want to make Natsu uncomfortable by remaining on his lap the whole ride back.

However, Natsu remained cheery and happy about it. "Sure, not a problem! I think I'll take a drive-thru trip, though. Kinda hungry already."

"But…" Lucy frowned, her brow twitching, "I thought we were gonna get something at Mira's."

"Gotta prepare my stomach for dinner with a snack!" The pink-haired man snickered brightly before readying the engine, shifting gears.

Along the now neon-lit streets of the city, the Dodge Challenger Hellcat sped through the red lights, following Jason's convertible with ease. Ignoring the honks and people screeching at the driver, Gajeel grumbled under his breath while Juvia had her feet on the dashboard, peeking into the backpack with puckered lips. Boze's Nissan Silvia was following them from behind, and Gajeel would peek to the rearview mirror to make sure they were still with them.

Juvia peeked to the driver, her glossy lips curling a little bit into a smile. Closing the backpack and dropping it under her seat, the blue-haired woman poked the man's stiff cheek playfully, her cheeks filling with air.

"Nii-chan," Juvia cooed to him, hearing him grumble again and tilt his head away from her touch. "Nii-chan, don't be so grumpy with Juvia, please. We won the race and got the job, you should be happy!"

"The fuck you made me help out Salamander and that blonde chick for?" Gajeel snapped, making the woman smile bigger and rest her head against her seat. Tangling her fingers through her now-messy hair, she pushed her ruined bangs out of her face. "Ya know I still wanna ram his head with my car, squirt. The hell you make me do!"

"Nii-chan _always_ listens to Juvia. Besides, Juvia made a promise to Natsu-san about making sure his partner wouldn't get hurt," she explained with a pleased look on her face. "Juvia met Lucy-chan before the race, and Juvia likes her already."

"Ya like anyone from that sorry mother fu -!" Gajeel grunted when his step-sister smacked the back of his head, briefly reminding him of using such language about her acquaintances. "Psh! If the chick got her act together, she could've made it back in the car just fine."

"It was her first job, Nii-chan," she pointed out with a happy sigh. "Remember when Juvia had her first job with Nii-chan? When the man hit Juvia to the ground and was about to jump on her with the knife, Nii-chan came and saved Juvia, like a good big brother."

"You blacked out for a few minutes, because the fool hit you on the head, Juvia. That was different," Gajeel grumbled under his breath, not really liking how she was bringing up something he didn't like. "The girl just froze on the spot because of Trinity Raven."

"Either way, Juvia made a promise and she kept to it, like Nii-chan does with Juvia," she sang and sat up on her seat, seeing Jason's ride turning the corner. "And Juvia wanted to get back at them for what they did to Juvia's friends and nearly killing Toto-sensei last year."

Gajeel snorted a chuckle, spinning the wheel to make a sharp turn. "Where'd you put the bomb, squirt?"

"Half of it was able to fit under the hood," Juvia smiled brightly. "Did you see Juvia shatter the window with her heel? Ikagura is sure going to have a bone to pick with us now."

"Good. Bitch needs a taste of her own medicine."

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"You sure you're okay, Lucy?" Lisanna peeked over the bar to try and get a better look at the blonde, who was nibbling her fries between Natsu and Gray. Standing next to Mirajane, the younger sister tried her best to see if she could tell any emotional injuries written in her eyes. "You sure you don't need anything? You don't have any bruises on you, do you?"

"I'm good, thank you," Lucy said softly with a smile on her face. Looking to Lisanna and Mirajane with a smile, Lucy held a fry dipped with ketchup with glee. "Your guys' cooking really hits the spot. Like it erases anything I was worrying about before!"

Mirajane smiled and ran her fingers through Lisanna's short hair. "You see? She's doing just fine."

"I'm sorry about the job though," Lucy confessed, making Natsu turn his eyes with his hands and mouth filled with the burger he was eating. "I should have used the taser you got me, Natsu. And, I should have been quicker to find the drugs."

"Doesn't matter," Gray said on Lucy's other side, chewing on his straw with a bored look as he stared off into the distance. "We should've guessed they were further back in the train anyway. You did good enough just by checking it out anyway."

"And the fact that everything was in Russian was a flaw, too," Makarov's voice came from behind, making Lucy perk up and turn in her stool to see Jellal, Erza and the gang's boss approaching. Erza and Jellal held hands as they stood behind Makarov, who crossed his arms and smiled up to Lucy. "Juvia is quite well known to the Russian language, since her mother is of Russian descent. It would have been her advantage to be able to read anything or overhear the guards talking."

Blinking, Lucy suddenly gasped and reached down for her backpack. Everyone around her blinked in confusion as the young blonde picked up her pink backpack and opened it hastily, digging inside. "I just remembered… In the first car, Jellal and I were surrounded by these files and junk. I saw these specific ones on a table," Lucy blabbered, pulling out three files with red ink splattered on it. Holding it out with both hands to Makarov, Lucy went on. "I figured, you know, they could be useful for something, I guess. I don't know, but I felt like I needed to take them...for something."

Makarov blinked and took the files, opening the one on top to see plenty of words written in cursive Russian, blinding the old man with the scribbles and messy penmanship. Jellal tilt his head and Erza reacted the same as Makarov, jaw dropping at the sight of the messy lettering.

"Levy!" Makarov shouted out and a loud clang of a wrench dropping to the pavement echoed as Levy, now dressed in her sports bra and dirty mechanic pants, ran over. Rubbing the oil off her cheeks with the back of her hand, her sunshine smile lit up the whole bar.

"What's shaking?" Levy smiled, ignoring how Jet and Droy hurried to her side. Makarov held a file paper for her to take, and she gingerly plucked it with her fingertips, looking at it with round eyes and a curious pout.

"Levy, you grew up with Russian in your household, right?" Makarov asked seriously, watching as the young mechanic mumbled under her breath.

"Spoke it, wrote it and read it, sir," Levy sang, but a firm line on her lips brought another note. "However, I can't read cursive handwriting all that well. My parents wrote in print, so it was easier to read for them and me, but I can definitely tell you that these are delivery and stocking papers, and they have specific names and areas on them."

"I see…" Makarov hummed, nodding slowly.

"But, I'm sure I can get the major names off from some of my books," Levy offered, handing the sheet back to the boss. "I do know someone back at the station who took college courses in Russia, maybe they can help you out there?"

"Good thinking, Levy," Makarov smiled. "Thank you for your time. You can return to your project now." The blue-haired mechanic bounced and bolt past her boys, who jerked and followed after her just as quickly, leaving everyone else to look back to the short, old man. "Jellal, do me a favor and call back to the station. Tell 'em we got something they wanna take a look at, and tell them I'm gonna be there in an hour, so have some drinks ready. None of that sweet crap, something spicy."

Jellal nodded and looked to his wife, who smiled and leaned up to her toes to press a brief kiss to his lips before leaving. Erza crossed her arms and smiled to Lucy, who blushed a little when realizing that all of the attention was now back to her; Gray was still chewing on his straw with raised brows, Lisanna and Mirajane looked to her in wonderment and Natsu had that funny grin with his teeth still embedded into the burger.

"Lucy," Makarov caught her attention as she snapped her red face back to the old man, who was grinning ear-to-ear. "I know I said it before, but welcome to Fairy Tail. You're officially one of the gang now, dear. It won't be long until you've received your streetname."

"Streetname?" Lucy gawked with flushed cheeks, her words stuttering.

Swallowing the last of his burger, Natsu nodded next to her. "Yeah, you know how I'm called Salamander?" he grinned and pointed to Mirajane, who giggled shyly. "Mira used to be called the She-Devil, when she raced back in the day." Turning to Erza, Natsu had Lucy follow his gaze to the redhead, who rolled her eyes and shifted her weight to one leg.

"I'm called Titania during races, from tampering with my car's appearance all the time, I suppose," Erza shrugged, trying not to get it all to her head. Mirajane snickered behind Lucy and pointed out how Erza was starting to blush, making the older woman glare back in response. "Anyway, it's usually S-Class drivers who gets names, but you're technically in our ranks, since you're with Natsu."

"What's yours, Gray?" Lucy asked and looked to the dark haired man who, for some reason that Lucy didn't notice, was not stripped of his coat and shirt.

"I go by a lot of names on the streets, but it's originally Ice Mage," Gray finally spoke, sighing tiredly as he asked Lisanna for a refill, and the short haired woman nodded and took his glass. "But everyone calls me Stripper."

"Can't blame them," Lucy smiled, making Gray flinch and everyone else, especially Natsu, laugh hard. Lucy gave Gray a teasing smile and waved her hand. "Don't take it personally, Gray. It's kinda funny when you think about it!"

"I do think about it, and it's _not _funny!" Gray snapped, leaning back to see Natsu pointing at him and still going at it. "What'cha lookin' at, shitbrain? Ya lookin' for a fight? You still have it from earlier, Natsu!"

"Bring it, popsicle! Give Juvia-chan somethin' to look at next time she sees her boyfriend!" Natsu snickered as he got up from his seat, making Gray jump off his own and Lucy glancing between the two with confusion.

"I ain't her boyfriend!" Gray shouted and tackled Natsu to the tiled ground. Lucy jumped when Natsu hit the ground with his friend, rolling them over to the middle of the garage, both of them kicking and punching each other.

Lucy looked up to the older woman with red hair with a worried gesture to the young men fighting. Erza simply shrugged in response. "Those two will tire themselves out in a minute. Fighting right after eating usually causes stomach aches."

Erza wasn't wrong. After a good ten minutes passed and both young men whacked each other around the stomach area at the same time, both went green in the face and fell over. Lucy was quick to jump to Natsu's aid, and Gray, too, but he seemed to have got himself handled well. Gray waved Lucy off of him and helped himself back up to the bar, ordering for another refill of the drink.

Natsu half-leaned on Lucy, who sighed and helped him over to the elevator. "Tummy hurts now…" he gurgled weakly, and Lucy couldn't help but roll her eyes at his childish whine.

"You're an idiot. Fighting after you just ate?" Lucy chided softly and watched as he stuck himself to the wall when the elevator began moving. Crossing her arms, the blonde sighed again when he slid to the floor. "You got hit in the stomach, Natsu. You're not gonna die."

"I think I'm gonna be sick, Luuuce," Natsu heaved and curled into a ball. Lucy took a step away from him for precaution.

"Jeez, you have abs of steel and you get one hit to the belly, and now you're all weak and whiney," Lucy complained.

Then, like a bubble, Natsu's face returned to normal and looked up to the blonde with a bright smile. "Abs of steel, huh?"

Lucy went absolutely red in the face and didn't hesitate to kick her shoe off to Natsu's face. The pink haired man stiffened from the blow and puffed the shoe off with a red nose. "Oww, that hurt!" Natsu whined and rolled to his back, rubbing his face. "Why'd ya do that, Luce?"

"You seem fine to me, dork!" Lucy huffed and looked away, refusing to let him see how red her cheeks were. Using both hands to cup her cheeks, Lucy ignored Natsu's constant poking on the rest of the ride up to their apartment.

Once getting inside, Lucy felt more relaxed and calm, even though Natsu was still occasionally rubbing his stomach. "I'm going to take a shower," she announced with an exhale. "Still have tons of dirt on me and I feel gross."

"Sure," Natsu nodded before diving to the couch, messing his pile of blankets and pillows to tumble down. Lucy shook her head with a half smile before going to the bathroom to shower. "I call after you, so please don't take all of the hot water, Luce!"

Lucy took a quick and easy shower, not really having a hot one like she originally thought about. Realizing she dealt on the lines between life and death, dirt sticking to your skin and hair like glue and an absolute bitch to wash out; Lucy seemed to have dealt with enough heat for one day, just wanting to cool down and go straight to bed. Combing her hair to a silky shine and dressed in her pajamas, Lucy picked up her mess in the bathroom and head out to slip into the bedroom. The apartment lights were off, and Lucy used the wall to make it to bed, falling face-first into the comfortable mattress and comforter before slipping underneath.

Vaguely hearing the footsteps of Natsu entering the bathroom and turning on the shower next, making Lucy close her eyes slowly and let her head sink further into the pillow. She dozed off on and off, listening to Natsu finish with his clean-up and the recognizable squeak of the couch with the sudden weight, but didn't bother with it at all. Lately, Lucy has been used to living with someone making noises, or even waking her up when she least expects it.

Back at the mansion, the maids and employees would act like cats. Tip-toeing around the whole estate and normally wouldn't converse with the higher ups. A couple, though, like the old maid who would be her personal helper or the butler who would have Lucy help prepare dinner, would talk and make Lucy feel a bit more comfortable in her old home. But, compared with Fairy Tail…

The sound of the bedroom door creaking open, Lucy rolled her eyes and stayed still, hearing the gruff snort when Natsu bonked his foot on the dresser, yet remained asleep. Peeking over the blanket, Lucy watched with amusement as Natsu slept walk around the large bed before plopping to the mattress beside her.

"Natsuuu," Lucy whispered quietly, turning her head and using her foot to nudge his leg. She bit back a snicker when he snorted again and scrambled in his spot.

Natsu's head plopped on the pillow Lucy was half using, burying his face in her damp hair. His muscular arm reached over and wrapped around her blanketed form, pulling her to him and the other arm slipped under her to hold her to him. Lucy didn't mind it, actually curling her form against his warm, hard chest.

"Natsu," Lucy tried again, and instantly felt him exhale in a puff against her head and holding her tighter. She briefly heard him grumble a 'five more minutes' excuse before snuggling his nose to the exposed skin of her neck, making her stiffen.

Feeling her heart rate rise from the contact, Lucy swallowed and shut her eyes when his nose brushed against her skin slowly. She swore under her breath that he was kidding with her again, like back in the elevator, but she knew better. Natsu was very specific when he was dead asleep, how his muscles were relaxed and his low, quiet snore that reminded Lucy of a little puppy she once saw on the internet. Natsu's hold was warm and gentle, and it made that fuzzy feeling inside Lucy's belly return and make her feel blissful.

Closing her eyes, Lucy fell asleep to the feeling of being home.

=xxx=

Juvia Lockser stood beside her brother, with Sue and Boze behind them with their cars parked on either side. The meeting spot Jason had led them too was a parking ramp in the midst of the large city, where it was like a maze to drive through without stopping. The twenty-year old woman glanced around the surrounding area, noticing the lack of light in the fourth level of the ramp, despite having a light placed above them and a door on the wall.

To Juvia, it reminded her of an entrance of the hospital she used to go to constantly as a child with her mother and stepfather.

Feeling a slight nudge to her exposed shoulder, Juvia peeked to her older brother who was noticing her fidget with two black backpacks in her hands. "You okay, kid?"

"Juvia is fine," she nodded with a small smile, using the shoulder he touched to nudge him back. "It's just odd...we've never had to meet employers at such a public place. Even if there is not many lights, Juvia just wonders why we are to meet our client here."

Gajeel crossed his arms and shrugged. "Probably one of those rich people who can hire security to protect their asses. You know, like those James Bond guys, I guess."

"More like the Godfather," Sue snorted behind them, making Juvia giggle and Gajeel to roll his eyes. "Get your movies straight, man."

"How long we gonna wait for Jason to get the man out, huh?" Boze complained. "I'm getting tired, you guys. Toto-sensei is gonna beat my ass, too, if I don't finish my literature homework… Say, Sue..?"

"Do your own goddamn homework, you lazyass," Sue sniffed and turned away from her relative, who pouted down to her.

"You two behave right now," Juvia glanced over her shoulder, seeing that the glass door was showing approaching figures their way. She could see Jason leading in front, blocking out the rest of the faces for her to see from the angle. Once she saw the two straighten their back and put on their business faces, she returned to her own statuesque next to her brother.

Jason had one of his men open the door for him, letting him and three other people out. The two who were following closely behind him were obviously guards dressed in black suits, sunglasses and earpieces as accessories. The man in the middle, though, had a tan face with a gray suit; a long, pale beard that was neatly groomed and an eyepatch over his right eye, he was pretty well-built for his apparent age. In his hand was a silver suitcase.

The blond man who recruits for races beamed to the winners with a weird grin on his face, making Juvia mentally frown at how oblivious he was behaving in front of the employer. "Hey, you cool riders of the night! How y'all doing? Cool? Cool!"

"Cut the shit, Jason," Gajeel snapped in a bark, making it echoe in the parking ramp and Juvia sent a warning glare to him. Once he received the feeling of being targeted by his little sibling, he let out a breath of annoyance. "Where's the money? We ain't got all night, you know."

Jason flinched at Gajeel's voice and turned back to the man with the eyepatch, who walked up and pulled the suitcase to rest flat on his palm. Opening the clasp of the case open, the man with the eyepatch presented the fill of bulks of cash in rubber bands. This seemed to have sparked Gajeel's interest, since he smirked at the sight in front of him.

"This man is not the employer," Juvia spoke out, causing all eyes on him. "Where is the employer?"

The man with the eyepatch smiled at Juvia, who kept her face emotionless and stern. "Very good eye, young lady," he chuckled and shut the case, locking it. Juvia ignored how her brother sniffed in disappointment. "How'd you guess something so little?"

"If you were the employer, you would have made us enter the building and to your office," Juvia said simply, eyeing the two men who were looking at each other with raised brows. "If you were the employer, you would not have met the criminal racers so close to their cars. Even with two guards, there is four of us who are more than armed to take you out."

The bearded man chuckled darkly, passing the suitcase to one of the men who took it and approached Juvia's way. Juvia held out the backpacks in one hand and held out her free hand for the suitcase. The security gave Juvia the suitcase first before taking the bags from her, peeking inside before returning to his spot. Jason watched with fumbling fingers before speaking.

"S-so this is Phantom Lord, sir," Jason announced, gesturing to the four people and two available cars. "Not only did they get the drugs, but they also took down a racer's car with a bomb when they tried to steal the goods."

The man smirked at this, liking the details of that. "You must all be Jose's kids, then? I see. I will be honest, hearing Phantom Lord's name, I figured it'd be a bunch of men and...well, not with fragile-looking women." Juvia heard Sue huffed with frustration, but was glad that she kept quiet. "You may call me Hades. I'm the assistant of the man who asked for the race, and I apologize that he couldn't make it to meet the worthy drivers tonight. He had some issues that needed tending to."

"He a big-buck man, or something?" Gajeel asked with a studded brow raising. He looked to see Juvia situate the suitcase to hold with both hands, probably to refrain from hitting the man who was hoping for an all-man gang. "Or is he too shy to meet people from the street?"

Hades shook his head slowly. "No, but he is completely interested in having you work for him. But, he is a private man, I must say," he said with a stroke of his beard, smirking. "He asked for the strongest of gangs - those who don't just sit there and look nice, you see?"

Reaching into his pocket, Hades pulled out a cellphone in the color of black. It looked to be an older model, but it wasn't any less of the expensive brand from a few years back. Tossing it to Gajeel's way, he waited until the black haired man caught it with one hand and inspected it with boredom. "That is for your boss to have. When my boss has a job, he will call your boss," Hades said.

Gajeel rolled his eyes and pocketed the phone. "Lemme guess, direct line?"

"Ones that will hold no trace when there is a call to be made, Nii-chan," Juvia explained thoroughly, making Hades laugh at Juvia's remark to her brother.

"Smart girl, I see," Hades complimented, but Juvia didn't appreciate it at all. "What are your names? I'm sure people like you would have...interesting ones."

"Gajeel," he replied and jerked his chin to Juvia's way, who remained still as stone. "That's my sister, Juvia. And back there is Sue and Boze," he added with a thumb to the younger ones in the back.

Hades nodded. "I suppose you and your sister are the head drivers Jose talks about once in a while. Him and I go way back, you see. We were once -!"

"Not interested, man," Gajeel interrupted with a roll of his eyes. "Look, we'd _love_ to stay and chat with you and your..._models_ here -" he made the two security men frown and want to speak up, but Gajeel kept his voice strong and louder than their own "- but we got shit to get done before bed. The usual 'your people will call my people' deal, right? Good. Thanks for the cash, goodbye."

With Gajeel's sassy talk ending, the members of Phantom Lord turned around and returned to their rides. Juvia carried the suitcase filled with cash into the passenger seat and waited for her brother to enter and start the engine. Gajeel was the one to lead them out of the ramp and exit the property back into the city, speeding over the limit to head to the path of their home.

Looking down to the silver suitcase, Juvia drummed the tips of her fingers on top. "Juvia doesn't really like Hades."

"Yeah, well, he looks like a fuckin' pirate. A bad one, too," Gajeel snickered, taking a peek to the blue haired woman. "More talk and less bite. I ain't too worried about him, kid."

"Still, giving us the phone to take to Jose," Juvia sighed softly, looking out the window to see passing lights. "How long do you think we will be working for them, Nii-chan?"

"However long it takes for them to run out of money, I guess," Gajeel shrugged. "We've been doing whatever Jason sends out to Jose, so this should be better than rummaging for cash in the streets."

"But we can still race, right?" Juvia pouted to him, making him smirk. "At least a couple, when we have free time. Juvia doesn't want to stay stuck inside the bar all day, Nii-chan."

"Yeah, we can still race, squirt," Gajeel smirked a bit bigger, seeing how stars lit in her eyes and she giggled in her seat. "Just make sure you get enough sleep and eat when I tell you, okay? Don't want you falling asleep on the job, especially if we're making big bucks on this bad boy over here." He tapped the silver case resting on her lap. "We can start getting you the good medication and maybe some better food."

"And pay off Nii-chan's criminal fines?" Juvia looked at him with a pout. "Maybe we can get Nii-chan a bed for our room - you can pick it out!"

"Like hell we got room in that cramped place ya call an _apartment_. We live right above the bar, Juvia," Gajeel rolled his eyes when she began listing off things like better tools for their garage behind the bar, or fix the crack on the counter for Totomaru, as a gift. "You know we don't have a lot of room, and Sol will just take most of the stuff anyway. Jose and Sol knows how much we are getting paid each time, so it's not going to be too much."

Juvia went quiet, but a small smile remained on her face as she hugged the silver case a bit closer to her. "But just think about it, Nii-chan," she said excitedly. "Juvia and Nii-chan can actually try to afford things now, with the employer being a rich man and all."

"We don't know for sure if he's a rich guy, Juvia," Gajeel reminded her. "He could be a stupid politician trying to cover up his own tracks, and using us to get rid of his past. Maybe he's one of those lawyers who get shitheads like me or anyone else out of prison by giving the cops tons of cash."

"Juvia knows, but it's still money," she nodded softly.

Gajeel looked between her and the road ahead of him a couple times before reaching with his free hand to rest atop soft, wavy blue hair. "Ya remember what color you wanted to paint my room, if we managed to get our own place one day?"

"Warm beige, because Nii-chan always complains how cold it is in our room, back at home," Juvia said. "Nii-chan would also get a new set of tools for his box, and in black color. But, Nii-chan has to share with Juvia when she wants to work on her ride, too."

"That's when I'll get you your own set of tools that aren't rusted or chipped," Gajeel chuckled under his breath, ruffling her hair into a knot. "You'll get your very own toolbox, too, so you won't have to share mine anymore."

"But Juvia likes to share with Nii-chan," she whimpered childishly. "Big one to share both of our tools, then?"

"Why not," Gajeel shrugged, shaking his head at her behavior. After a minute of the good kind of silence, the man with multiple piercings stole a glance to his little sister, seeing how she unconsciously rubbed under her eye. "When we get home, I want you to wash up and get to bed."

"But won't Nii-chan want Juvia to make you something to eat? Juvia doesn't mind staying up a little bit longer to make Nii-chan food," she reminded him, her head resting back on the seat.

"You work tomorrow, kid. Remember?"

"Juvia does not mind."

"But I do," the man shoved his large hand to her face, making the twenty-year old whine at his action. "I'm not that bad at making myself something to eat, kid. Who was the one who made you dinners until you could reach the stove and work the oven?"

"Nii-chan is going to make himself one of his man sandwiches and fall asleep before digesting properly," Juvia stated flatly, her eyes narrowing to the road ahead of them. "Then, Nii-chan is going to wake up when he needs to be ready for work, and have to sit on the toilet until his stomach cramps go away. Juvia will tell you that you weren't being smart, and probably -!"

"I'll have Totomaru make me a fucking salad, okay? How's that? Spinach salad with a little bit of cheese and no dressing. I'll wait for a half hour before going to sleep. Happy?" Gajeel wheezed in his own misery as he listed what he was going to do, since he knows how well his sister could predict what will happen...since he usually did that.

"Juvia is always happy," she perked, smiling widely as her brother groaned. "Nii-chan can practice eating salad when he and Levy-chan finally go on a date someday!"

Gajeel smacked his head on the wheel.

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=xxx=

AUTHOR'S ENDING NOTE - More of the major plots will start hinting soon, but this is technically the beginning of what's going to happen in the story. I'm thinking about making a sequel, but I need to figure out how many more chapters I need to make before saying so. I've figured out about 10-13 more chapters so far?

Remember to Review, Follow, Favorite or just have a wonderful day. Remember to smile, and that Kitty loves you!


	6. Chapter 6

Please don't forget to Review, Follow, Favorite or whatever. Please enjoy and have a wonderful day.

=xxx=

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R_i_**d**e '_**e**_m _H_**a**r_**d**_

Chapter Six

"W-wait..._how much_ is this?"

"FBI said that they would double the amount of what the race would have paid," Erza answered with an amused smile, still holding out the two envelopes to Natsu and Lucy, who were sitting on the stools at Mirajane's bar. Both of the young adults had their jaws dropped at the redhead, completely dumbfounded. "So, this is six-thousand for each of you. Jellal and I were paid earlier, so these two are for you."

Natsu grinned and took both of the envelopes from Erza, carefully handing Lucy her share. "See, Luce? You did pretty neat last night. The guys back at the station are gonna like you a lot now!"

"They've translated the handwriting into Russian print, so it's easier to tell what it says," Erza explained. "They were more than impressed with the files than what we could have gotten from getting the job. Apparently there's answers to some cases that they had to put on hold, but they have names and places now. You did the right thing, Lucy. I don't know why we didn't think about this before."

"Jellal told me they were usually boring stuff, or they used very aloof names that make no sense at all," Lucy flushed and looked at the envelope, pinching it and feeling the bulk of cash on the inside. "I can see why not many people would think of taking files, especially when they're in those scribbles."

"Well, you did good and you got a good deal of money out of it," Erza chuckled before bidding goodbye to them, heading back to the small stairs that led up to Makarov's office, where Jellal and Makarov were discussing in private. Lucy couldn't hear what they were speaking about, but she could see them talk through the glass window of the old man's office, where the walls were decorated with photos and posters of different cars and bikini models…

"Hey, Luce," Natsu caught her attention and saw him staring at her intently. She felt her cheeks slip into a shade of red, frowning at him. Making a questioning noise, Natsu grinned brightly. "Why don't we go shopping in the city?"

"Mm?" Lucy blinked. "For what?"

"So you can get clothes. Girls like shopping for clothes, right? You can get a better wardrobe, and some comfortable clothes - you've been saying that some of Mira's old clothes aren't too comfortable for you? I'll drive you to that fancy clothing shop that you and Lisanna were talking about the other night."

"What! Natsu, you don't have to -!"

"It's your first paycheck in Fairy Tail, and you have six-thousand dollars to spend to your heart's content," Natsu smirked, waving his own envelope like a fan at her, making her roll her eyes at his tone of voice sounding so pampering. "Besides, we have the day off to do whatever, and I need some new stuff myself. I can't pick my clothes out very well, so I'm gonna need help."

Lucy was about to protest again, but Levy's foot shutting Gray's newly repaired car door startled her. Looking up, Lucy saw the victorious grin on the blue-haired mechanics face as she gave Gray a playful punch.

"Ha! See what I mean? Good as new, Gray, just like I said," Levy kissed her fingertips, like a chef, and spoke something in Russian that Lucy couldn't make out. Then, Levy went on to say more phrases in other languages, Lucy figured, of French, Italian - so many as she danced around the stoic-looking racer. "You owe me now, Gray. Take it up now!"

"Oi, Levy!" Natsu called out, making the small woman pause and smile to the other driver. "I'm takin' Luce shopping today with our paychecks. Wanna come with us?"

Stars sparkled in Levy's brown eyes as she nodded to them. "Lulu-chan, let's go shopping together! Gray is gonna be my chauffeur for today, since it's part of the deal we've made - It's gonna be a girl's day, Lulu-chan!"

"But I need clothes, too, Levyyy!" Natsu whined, plopping his head on Lucy's shoulder and the blonde's eyes narrowed. "Don't make it all 'bout you guys, ne?"

"Sure, we can give you much needed fashion advice, starting with the color of your hair," Levy placed her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes. Natsu made a strained noise, but Levy ignored him and yanked on Gray's sleeve. "C'mon _Alfred, _you're taking me shopping with Natsu and Lulu-chan."

"Quoting Batman now?" Gray frowned. "You're a nerd, Levy."

"Say it again, and I'll tear your baby apart," Levy smiled darkly as she kicked with the back of her heel to Gray's repaired door, leaving a footprint made from the dirt outside the garage. Gray grumbled an apology and Levy snickered with delight as she glanced back to the two at the bar. "You two ready to go? Where's our first stop?"

=xxx=

"Hey, Levy, how did you...you know, end up in Fairy Tail? I mean, if it's okay I ask," Lucy asked quietly while she joined the blue-haired woman scoping the racks in the shiny, very expensive store. They were in the girl section, of course, and Natsu had dragged Gray over to the other side of the shop, where the clothes were. Levy changed from her mechanic uniform and into more casual, girly clothes; a frilly, black skirt and a orange crop top with pastel pink designs. Lucy herself was wearing one of Mira's sweaters and skinny jeans.

Lucy felt a bit out of place with Levy in the extravagant clothing store, but this really wasn't a new environment for her. No, Lucy remembers how her dad would give her credit cards and have someone drop her off at shops like these, but it was lonely and boring - Lucy remembers buying barely anything, just to get her father to look at her and ask why she didn't purchase anything.

Levy twirled a finger around one of the long strands of her bangs, looking at a pair of jeans with interest. "No, it's okay to ask, Lulu-chan," Levy smiled before returning the jeans to the rack. "Don't worry about asking. You're part of the gang now, so there's no secrets between us, you know?"

Levy picked out a cute, blue-and-white tunic top. Holding it out to press it against Lucy's breasts, nodding with approval. "Anyway, you're wondering how I got in? Heard that Jellal spilled the beans for Erza on the train," she smiled, putting the top in Lucy's hands. "It's about time you learned more about everyone little by little, right?"

"Well," Lucy blushed, looking at the top given to her by Levy, "I would have never expected either Erza and Jellal to come from that. I mean, I know that Mirajane and her siblings were used as financial fraud, but…"

Levy waved her hand, chuckling. "It's not a big deal, Lulu-chan. I'm okay with telling you my story," Levy cooed sweetly before seeing shoes on display. The mechanic's eyes sparkled as she scurried over to them with Lucy being dragged behind. "So, I went to plenty of colleges and stuff like that, right? I was the daughter of a really rich family, much like you. My dad is this really important politician advisor and a college professor for literature and crap. My mom stayed home, taking care of stuff with me and housekeeping, after she married my dad - she's how I'm related to Juju-chan, you know?

"So, anyway, in my second year of college, my roommate was in this drug business that I had no idea about," Levy rolled her eyes before picking up a shoe. "She took off when the cops got involved, and stashed her goods in my things, so everyone thought it was me. Not only did I get arrested, but my dad's reputation got kicked in the ass to the politician branches and fired him. My dad disowned me and kicked me off his financial plan, leaving me in major debt and in addition to my criminal fines and serving time was a bonus.

"They never caught my roommate, since she booked out of the country with a new name and all, but by my third day in prison, Makarov showed up with the knowledge of my story," Levy grinned, putting the shoe back and facing Lucy, who's eyes were wide. "He came to my cell and told me about Fairy Tail, and how he looked at my file and knew that I was innocent - since I was taking so many classes at the time, there was no way I could've organized drug deals and all that. I was taking lots of shop classes, and mechanics and languages, so he offered me to join."

"Wow," Lucy exhaled with amazement, and this made Levy grin bigger.

"Yep! It's nice, too, since Jet and Droy were also from my school and needed jobs, I hooked them up with Makarov and they work for me," Levy smiled.

"I just...never thought you'd come from a family that had money like I did. I'm sorry if that sounded rude!" Lucy peeped, realizing what she had just said, but Levy simply laughed and waved it off.

"Please. My dad was somewhat controlling of my mom," Levy rolled her eyes. "He didn't like my aunt or anyone on my mom's side of the family, so he told her that she wasn't allowed to talk to them, but she always snuck out with me to meet my aunt and Juju-chan."

"How did Juvia get into the whole gang business? Why isn't she with us, if she's your cousin?" Lucy asked next.

Levy shrugged at that. "I don't know, actually. Something happened when we were kids, and I haven't heard anything from my aunt or Juju-chan until I joined Fairy Tail. I never really had the chance to ask her what happened either, since it's practically against the rules."

"Rules?"

Levy held one finger up, poking Lucy's nose with it. "First rule of Fairy Tail's book of rules: Don't kill anyone, _unless_ they try to kill you first, or pose as a threat. A little hint from the law enforcement of self-defense, and we take it to our jobs," the blue-haired woman winked before holding two fingers up.

"Second, and this one applies to all gangs, so this can count as _number one_ in other places," Levy went on, going to the next rack. "Ya keep business with your business. You don't go telling people from other gangs what's going on behind closed doors. If you do, then your boss has the right to take you out - as in killing you. No one likes a gossiping gang members. Secrecy and personal information is very important to everyone, like a lifeline. So, with me and Juju-chan, even though we're blood-related, I have no right to ask her how she got to Phantom Lord, nor what she's doing for jobs. I can ask her how she's doing, or little things; like what she ate for dinner last night, if she's busy or whatever.

"Third," Levy held up three fingers to Lucy, "if a gang did something to piss yours off, you have the right to even out the damage until satisfied. But, it has to be passed by the boss, or you can get into major trouble."

"I didn't think gangs had rules like that," Lucy swallowed nervously before giving her friend an uneasy smile. "Sounds like recess rules, if you think about it."

"Every gang has different rules, though, so these may not apply to everyone," Levy pointed out. "Some gangs do more than racing and drug deals. There's gangs who run brothels and prostitutes, hit-and-runs, murdering, kidnapping and all those stuff." Seeing how the blonde went pale, Levy giggled lightly. "Don't worry, Lulu-chan. Fairy Tail doesn't run like that. We work for the FBI and cops, remember? Makarov learned his lesson years ago and refuses to apply that to his current work."

"Oh, thank goodness -!"

"Luuuce! How does this look on me? Do I look like the real-deal now?" Natsu's cheery voice stopped her from being in relief, as she turned her head to see her driver dressed with the shop's attire. He reminded Lucy of one of those flashy guys in the rap music videos; black leather vest with baggy jeans and studded shoes, even a hat on top of his head.

Lucy went bright red in the face, slowly shaking her head to contain her laughter. Levy, however, was more verbal about her opinion, which was the same as Lucy's, thankfully.

"You look like an idiot, Natsu," Levy nearly shouted, catching the attention of the other customers and employees. Hands on her hips, Levy hurried over to the pink haired man, grabbed him by the ear and hauled him over to one of the racks on the men's selection. Gray, who was leaning against the outside of the changing stall Natsu was in, rolled his eyes at the sight when Levy scored through the lines of clothes, tossing Natsu many articles of clothing.

"First of all, don't you ever wear leather vests in public, unless you look like Gajeel-kun - all buff and scary-looking, you hear?" Levy ordered as she checked one of the pants tags before tossing them up, having Natsu catch them. "And, I told you this before, Natsu, stick to the colors that go with your scarf! Nothing shiny! No leather, no silk, no metal."

"Okay, okay!" Natsu nodded with wide eyes as Levy found a deep purple with white lining vest. The young woman plopped it to the pile of clothes and pushed him back to the changing stall, where Gray stood and took a step away from the approaching two. "W-wait, Levy. This is a lot of clothes!"

"Pick one outfit you like, then!" Levy ordered with a twitch of her brow, yanking the curtain shut and turning around. Lucy slowly followed at the distance and arrived to one of the couches by the changing rooms. Sitting down on one, Lucy bit back her snicker at the small curses Levy slip from her lips. "Honestly. If Cana was here, she'd beat your head in with your lack of knowledge for colors and fabric, Natsu."

Sitting down with a sigh, Levy crossed her legs before looking to Lucy. "I'm not sure how you can handle him, Lulu-chan. Driving with him is one thing, but living under the same roof?"

"He's not that bad, Levy-chan," Lucy giggled softly, seeing how her blue-haired friend portrayed herself being exhausted.

"Thank you, Luce!" Natsu called out from inside the changing room, directing more attention to them in the store.

"Be quiet, flamebrain," Gray bit out. "You're gonna get us kicked out, you moron."

Levy elbowed Lucy on the arm, catching the blonde's attention. "Go and try to stuff on, Lulu-chan! I want you to try out the clothes I picked for you. Cana isn't the only one with good taste in clothes, you know." Looking up to Gray, who was bored out of his mind, Levy smiled evilly. "Gray, why don't you tell Lulu-chan how you got into Fairy Tail?"

"Is that what you two were chatting about?" Gray raised a brow, taking a peek at Lucy, who stood up and tip-toed to the open changing room. "Why would Lucy care to know anyway?"

"Because it's nice to get to know your friends, isn't it?" Levy sniffed back once Lucy closed the curtain. "Cana told Lucy how her family used to live on the streets and Makarov found them, and even Erza was trying to tell Lucy her and her husband's backstory!"

"Erza can't even keep a straight face with telling her story without crying her eyes out," Gray rolled his eyes and pulled out his cellphone, looking at the screen. "My story is my business. You just wanna know because you don't know it, Levy."

"Party pooper!" Levy sniffed.

Lucy tried on the tops and pants Levy had stacked for her, finding them perfectly comfortable and to her own taste. Checking herself out in the mirror inside the stall, Lucy approved them first before calling Levy to stick her head in to peek, making the mechanic wolf whistle.

"Lookin' good, Lulu-chan! Told you I was good," Levy snickered with delight.

"I think I'll buy these two outfits," Lucy said softly, gesturing to the one hanging on the hook and the other she was stripping off to change back. "And you got these all from the clearance rack, too? You're really good at this, Levy-chan. I wouldn't even be spending six-hundred here!"

"Oi, can I see?" Natsu asked somewhere behind Levy, who kicked at his shins to keep him from peeking. He squawked in pain, and Lucy could hear Gray sighing in annoyance. "Damn it! I just wanted to see the outfit!"

"Go buy your shit and wait in the car," Levy snapped behind her. "Lucy's stuff is going to be a surprise, so go pay with Gray."

The sound of Natsu whining faded out and Lucy guessed that Levy waited until they were gone to turn back, a large smile on her face. Lucy was confused by the whole ordeal, yet didn't question her friend as she put her own clothes back on.

"Hey, Levy-chan," Lucy spoke after gathering her purchases into her arms.

"Mm?"

Lucy slowly smirked, eyeing Levy with a mischievous look in her brown eyes. "So you like it when Gajeel wears leather, huh?"

After buying her new clothes and escaping Levy's wrath of her embarrassment, Lucy slipped into the Mitsubishi Lancer next to Natsu, who was chatting with Gray through the radio about how he's gonna wear his new outfit to the next race. Lucy rolled her eyes when Natsu gave his goofy grin to her and asked about her clothes, telling him in response that it's a surprise, like Levy said.

Driving behind Gray's Subaru Impreza, Natsu kept the station connected to the cars so Lucy and Levy could decide where else to go. One the idea of going to a cafe or a smoothie stand, Levy's voice went abrupt at the red light of a sudden gasp. Lucy's head tilted and Natsu blinked and looked to the radio with confusion before looking at each other.

It was Gray who spoke. "It's Trinity Raven, Natsu."

Lucy's eyebrows creased in worry as she looked to Natsu, who's mouth went to a firm line of distaste and moved forward to see ahead of him right behind Gray's ride. Lucy didn't move an inch from her seat when the light turned green and Gray's car hit the pedal to turn sharply into a small parking lot, where a Plymouth Road Runner blocked the way of a familiar Nissan 370Z and a Silvia in their spots. Natsu followed cooly, but Lucy could see his shoulders tense under his black t-shirt.

Lucy looked out the windshield to see the tall Boze sitting atop of his ride with Sue ontop of the trunk. Boze was wearing a lime green tank and torn shorts while Sue was wearing a band shirt and skinny jeans; by the Nissan, stood Juvia alone, wearing a spring dress and sandals. Her long, wavy hair was up in a bun and she had sunglasses on. Ahead of Juvia were two figures, a man and a woman, apparently.

Gray slammed on the brakes, making the tires screech as he kicked his door open, catching the teenagers attention with a snap of their heads. Juvia, however, kept her stare to the two people by the Road Runner. Natsu and Lucy follow suited, and Natsu reminded her to keep her shopping bags in the car before leaving. Lucy closed her door and hurried over to Levy's side, who stayed at her side by the opened door.

"The hell is going on here? This ain't your turf, Trinity Raven," Gray snapped as he walked up to the small group. Natsu followed behind, shoving his hands in his pants pockets.

"Well, look who decided to rescue the princess, mm?" the female with long, pink hair and heavy makeup cooed. Her red lips smirking at the sight of Gray, leaving Juvia's contact for a moment. She wore clothes that were black and decorated with skulls all over, and Lucy could see her as some kind of rough chick. "_Juvia-chan_'s knight in shining armor!"

"The fuck you want, Ikaruga!" Gray snarled darkly and was about to approach the woman, but Natsu hauled him back from doing so.

Juvia calmly raised her hand to the two Fairy Tail members, silently asking them to calm down while Boze and Sue looked to the two girls by Gray's ride. "It's okay, Gray-sama. Please, don't get angry," she said calmly, and Lucy was surprised to see how the girl who practically saved her life was so cool about it. "Ikaruga just wanted to see me, that's all."

"Well, not just to see sweet Juvia, you know," the woman, Ikaruga purred as she crossed her arms. "It seems that I have a bit of a problem with this sweet dumpling here. You see, last night, while I was racing...Juvia thought it would be funny to jump on my hood."

The man next to Ikaruga, who was only sporting chained pants and silky, long black hair snickered with amusement. Peeking through his bangs, Lucy saw how heavy the man's eyeliner was and how pale his skin looked. She inwardly shivered at his creepy attire. "Ikaruga came back last night ready to skin someone! That would've rocked, man!"

"I just want to pay Juvia-chan the same respect she served to my ride, that's all," Ikaruga simply said, looking at her long nails. "I find it very rude for someone to plant a dynamite in my engine and then smash my window. I can't even ride my Dodge anymore, _Juvia-chan_, and I'm upset about it."

Juvia, despite Ikaruga's sharp tone, smiled with just as much venom. "Perhaps Ikaruga shouldn't have rammed her trampy ride to Natsu-san's fender while his partner was trying to get inside," she tipped her sunglasses up, and Sue was bouncing in her spot on top of Boze's ride. "Juvia was just returning the favor for how you treated Toto-sensei a while back, remember? It was Ikaruga who shot Toto-sensei and left him in the tunnels. And the time you stabbed Gray-sama? Or the time you tried to run over Jellal-san when he was helping Erza from a wreck?"

"Couldn't help it if they were in my way, Juvia-chan," Ikaruga said simply, spiking Natsu and Gray to react with tense jaws. "Don't forget that you damaged my ride, sweetheart."

"Ikaruga can get her repairs done," Juvia said simply, staring the woman straight in the eye. "Surely Ikaruga can fix her Dodge and get the pole out of her ass."

"Listen here, you bitch -!" The pink haired woman shrieked and raised her hand to smack Juvia. Gray was about to intervene when Natsu pulled him back again, and the Trinity Raven driver halt with her palm just a inch away from Juvia's fair cheek. Levy and Lucy bit back a scream when Juvia narrowed her eyes and Ikaruga's forehead pulsed with anger, her breathing harsh.

Seeing that Juvia was not reacting to her violence, Ikaruga slowly withdrew her hand to her side and towered over the shorter woman. "You got a lot of guts, comin' from the shittiest part of the city, girl."

"Ikaruga is of no threat to Juvia," the blue haired woman said simply, still emotionless to the threatening posture she was receiving. "Ikaruga knows very well that she is nothing against Juvia, if she remembers from the last time she struck Juvia with no valid reason."

Stepping back, Ikaruga crossed her arms and glared at Juvia. "You're still not getting away with it, girl. You hear me?"

Vidaldus suddenly perked and snickered with glee. "Why not a race to make it even, mm? We all love a race during the day once in a while, right? They rock just as hard as the usual ones, babes!"

The man splayed his hands out and ran them through his hair, winking to the two girls watching. "Seeing two more chicks really gets me goin', yeah!" he chuckled, loving the way Levy glared in return and Lucy bit her lip in disgust. "Kinda inspired a thought, Ikaruga. Make a deal with the devil and let me win for you, babe!"

Juvia looked to Boze and Sue, who were silent. Leaning against her Nissan and crossing her ankles, the woman shook her head. "Juvia is on call. She needs to save her fuel for when Jose calls the bar."

"We ain't gonna let you leave, babe. Not until you make a deal with me," Vidaldus wagged his finger to her before jutting a thumb towards Gray and Natsu. "And ya boytoy ain't gonna stop us. We'll head up to the bar and finish it the other way, if we have to, and you don't want that, right, dollface?"

Juvia's eyes narrowed, waiting for the man to state what he wanted. Vidaldus chuckled before looking to Ikaruga, who smirked and began biting her long, painted nails with excitement. "We wanna deal with what you guys always wanted: We'll stay far away from your property and never step foot in your bar," Vidaldus smirked. "Ensured promise to never vandalise or jump the bar with guns and violence every again…"

"And?" Juvia frowned.

"And, for the trade for stayin' off your property, we want your chicks," Vidaldus snapped his fingers and pointed to Sue, who froze with wide eyes, and his other pointed hand to Juvia, who was unfazed.

"No fuckin' way!" Natsu yelled at the rocker, who shrilled giggles like a madman.

"How dare you -!" Gray was about to step in and pull a fist back when Juvia's gentle hand touched his shoulder. Stopping from punching Vidaldus, Gray stared wide-eyed at the blue haired woman.

"You are not touching Sue-chan," Juvia stated strongly. Lucy saw thick tears in Sue's eyes as Boze reached down and grasped both of the young girl's shoulders tightly. "If you dare to touch an underage girl, I will not hesitate to rip your stomach open and choke you with your insides."

"Ahh, but what about you, babe?" Vidaldus awed. He reached a hand towards her, about to cup her chin and tilt it upward. "If you race against me, will you be part of the bargain -!"

In a second, Juvia grabbed the man's wrist and twisted his arm. Pulling him forward, Juvia slammed Vidaldus to the hood of her car and raised her foot to step on the side of his skull, not caring about her dress skirt riding up her legs; twisting the man's arm to his back, Juvia grasped his other one backwards and into the air at an uncomfortable angle.

"Juju-chan!" Levy shrieked in surprise, letting Lucy grasp her hands in shock. "Please, please! Juju-chan, don't! He's not worth it!"

Natsu kept his hold on Gray from squirming to attack, letting himself get elbowed and kicked hard. He knew that Juvia could hold her own just as easily Gray could, or even for Gajeel, and so Natsu puts his trust in the blue haired woman. Ikaruga watched silently as Juvia pulled her partner's extended arm further back, causing him to croak.

"Juvia is not racing today, and this is the final warning," she said cooly, pressing her foot harder on the man's skull.

"Then, we will have to stop by and return the favor you did to my -!" Ikaruga was interrupted by Gray's firm, strong voice.

"I'll race."

Juvia's head snapped up to see Gray stop his fidgeting in Natsu's lock, his expression serious when Natsu slowly let go of his friend. Juvia's eyes widened and brought her foot down from Vidaldus's head, slowly letting him slip out and crack his neck and stretch his arms. The rocker man stepped back to his partner, who was watching Gray with slit eyes.

"What did you say, boytoy?" Ikaruga sharply asked, ignoring how her partner heaved right next to her.

"I'll race in her place with Vidaldus," Gray repeated slowly, making sure that everyone heard.

"Gray-sama," Juvia whispered to him, reaching out to grip his leather coat when Natsu finally released him. "Gray-sama, no. This is Juvia's problem, you don't need -!"

"I'll add in my ride to the deal, too, if I lose," Gray didn't give a glance to the woman trying to stop him, constantly tugging on his sleeve. "If you win, you get what you want and my car. If I win, you stay off of Phantom Lord's property and don't go anywhere Juvia outside of races."

"Risky, risky," Vidaldus purred. "I like this idea, man. Hey, Ikaruga, babe, what do you think 'bout this deal? Could be a nice tune-up from your broken baby, no?"

The woman in question's red lips parted to reveal pearly-white teeth, smiling brightly. "Juvia-chan's knight in shining armor has a pear, that's for sure. His ride is pretty cute, too. Juvia-chan still needs to stay, though."

Juvia swallowed before looking to Sue and Boze. "Sue-chan, Boze."

"Hai, Juvia-sama?" Sue's head perked, tears still evident in her eyes and Boze followed to pay attention to the S-Class woman.

"Drive Juvia's car back to the bar, and tell Toto-sensei what's happening. If Sol is there, tell Toto-sensei in private - he'll know what to do when Nii-chan wakes up, okay?"

Sue jumped off her relative's car and ran to Juvia, wrapping her thin arms around her and hiding her face into Juvia's breasts. "Juvia-sama, no! Come back with us, please! Gajeel-sama is going to get mad, and you know it!"

"Do what I say, Sue-chan," Juvia said firmly, gently petting Sue's brown hair and pushing her off carefully. Holding her face, Juvia offered a tiny smile. "Sue-chan is eighteen now, so you can drive Juvia's car home, okay? Just listen to Juvia, and let Toto-sensei know what's going on."

Sue's eyes darted from Juvia to Gray, a little pleading look written in her eyes. Gray crossed his arms and gave Sue a curt nod. "I'll bring her home, kid. If Gajeel gets his panties in a bunch, just tell him that I got it covered."

Sue blinked and forced herself to nod, detaching herself from Juvia and taking the keys handed to her by the woman. Pouting, Sue bolted back to Boze when he climbed off of his car, whispering something to him before running to the Nissan's driver door.

"Natsu, take Levy into your ride with Lucy, 'kay?" Gray looked over his shoulder to his friend, who inhaled and nodded slowly.

.

.

.

"What are we suppose to do now? What's happening?" Lucy shivered in her seat, glancing between Natsu's still form and back to the Subaru Impreza and the Road Runner at the top of a mountainous road that was on the outskirts of the city, close to some of the factories in a few mile distance. "Natsu, what's going on?"

"They're drift racing, Luce," Natsu explained softly. "The kind that causes your car to skid across the dirt or pavement when you hit the breaks at a fast speed."

"But what's going on with them?" Lucy pointed out to the top. "What do they want with Juvia?"

"Vidaldus has been trying to buy Juju-chan for years now," Levy's quiet, raspy voice came from the backseat, and Lucy turned her head to see the blue haired mechanic curled with her legs up to her chest. "Trinity Raven are known to buying property, and that includes people, too. Vidaldus has been going to Jose, trying to put a price on Juvia until Gajeel found out."

"How do you know that?" Lucy asked, purely shocked by what she just heard.

Sniffling, Levy rubbed under her eyes. "Gajeel confronted Vidaldus before a race, because he was about to go to Juvia with another offer, and a fight broke out. I was there that night and so was Phantom Lord's boss and Makarov… It took about ten men and a taser to stop Gajeel from trying to kill him, otherwise that would've started a war between the two gangs. God," Levy exhaled and tangled her hands in her short hair. "I thought that taught the asshole a lesson about trying to buy Juju-chan, but now this! How could they be so careless about this? And putting Sue on the spot like that is what got Juju-chan mad!"

"Levy, it's going to be okay," Natsu told her without looking back, his brown eyes still looking to the top of the road. Lucy stole a glance to her driver before looking back to the mechanic. "Vidaldus isn't the only one who knows how to drift, you know."

"But this is Vidaldus's spot, Natsu!" Levy reminded him. "Who knows what's gonna happen!"

"I trust that ice princess knows what he's doing," Natsu shrugged. "I've known him long enough to tell when Gray means business. Besides, this has to do with Juvia-chan." Looking back to smile at both the girls, Natsu had that look in his eyes that made Lucy's chest twist in a sweet way. "Gray's head over heels for Juvia - ain't no way he's going to lose to a fake poser like Vidaldus! He's all fired up!"

Atop the mountainous road, Juvia waited inside Gray's car and watched as her crush spoke to the contestant about the main rules. She knew about drifting, but never raced with anyone outside the Phantom Lord, but has watched many take place. Totomaru and Gajeel would drift with her for fun and practice, and Boze and Sue have a long way before even being considered to start learning about it; and Juvia knew better than to drift against anyone from Trinity Raven.

Looking through the window to the Road Runner, Juvia was somewhat glad that both cars had tinted windows. She didn't want to see Ikaruga's face at the moment, or even make eye contact with the woman who followed her and her gang members that morning while they were running errands for Totomaru. She was mad, yes, but Juvia was also very concerned for the Fairy Tail member who took on the deal with Vidaldus Taka, the man who has been trying to buy her from her gang and brother ever since she was a teenager.

"No tools for this race, man," Vidaldus snapped his fingers. "These roads are tight enough to cause trouble between us, 'kay? No guns, bombs, spikes - the whole shebang."

"No partners," Gray added. "Keep your passengers inside the car the whole time."

"Done deal," Vidaldus smirked darkly, his eyes darting to the windshield Juvia was hiding behind. Juvia sighed under her breath of relief when she reminded herself that Gray's car was also tinted. "On the next whistle from the factory, boytoy. That's when you know to go."

Gray nodded and got off his car, heading to the driver's side and entering his car with ease. Juvia quickly looked down to her hands on her lap, not saying a word to the driver to her left; her heart was hammering in her chest, and she could feel her nerves starting to tingle at the tips of her toes and fingers. If she didn't calm down, she knew a panic attack and possibly something worse will happen.

Once Gray started the car and the engine started to hum under Juvia's body, her nerves relaxed, but her heart still kept pounding. She fiddled with her own hands, trying to distract herself.

Gray's large, rough hand reached over and engulfed both of her hands, making her freeze on the spot. "You okay, Juvia?"

"No," Juvia exhaled. "Juvia is not okay with Gray-sama getting involved in something like this. This is Juvia's problem, not Gray-sama's."

Gray watched as she bit her lip, fighting back her hiccups of frustration and his eyes softened as he let go of her fidgety hands and lift a lock of her wavy blue hair to get a peek of her eyes. Seeing how her hands froze and cheeks redden, Gray smirked and tucked that lock of hair behind her ear.

"It is my problem when they're trying to _buy_ you, Juvia," Gray said softly, his fingers still tangled with the long strands of her bangs. "You're not an item to be bought, you know that. What would your brother do, if he was here right now, instead of me?"

Juvia only responded by shooting him a stare that was unreadable, and Gray nodded. "Exactly. You know what would happen if Gajeel was here, Juvia, and that's just going to cause more trouble," he explained further, pulling back his hand before he touched her red cheek. "Besides, you've helped us a lot in the past and a lot of favors that saved our asses many times."

"There is no favor to return to Juvia, Gray-sama," Juvia puffed, making him raise a brow at her. She crossed her arms over her chest and rubbed her bare arms, looking down to her lap. "Fairy Tail has always been nice to Juvia and Phantom Lord. Gray-sama always visits the bar and gives Juvia medicine, even though Juvia tells him that he doesn't need to. Gray-sama doesn't need to do this to be even with Juvia - Please, Gray-sama, don't get involved in Juvia's problems."

"I'm not doing this to return the favor," Gray smirked, making Juvia's back straighten out and inhale sharply as she realized how he leaned closer to her. Their faces just an inch apart, and Juvia could feel his warm breath tickle her skin into goosebumps. "I'm doing this, because I ain't gonna let anyone take you away like that. I don't like it how that asshole treats you, Juvia. If I didn't know better, I'd probably act like your brother and actually try to kill him."

Unable to respond to his words, Juvia went beat red in the face when Gray pulled back and faced ahead of him. Her words spluttered at her lips, holding her cheeks with both hands when she heard him chuckle under his breath. "Gray-sama is so mean to Juvia…" she grumbled quietly, and she didn't have to look to see his snarky grin growing bigger. "Teasing Juvia like that is mean."

Readying his car besides Vidaldus in his Road Runner, Gray couldn't resist his small chuckle. "Let's say that that I get really protective of those I really care about," he shrugged simply, his demeanour slowing down to a stiff and unsure (which is very much unlike him). "Especially when it comes to you, Juvia."

Juvia mentally shook the thought away. "Because Juvia and Gray-sama have known each other since we were pretty young. Sixteen, or so, when Gray-sama joined?"

"Not like that," Gray mumbled. "It's more than that, Juvia, and you know that."

Juvia stole a quick glance before looking out the passenger window. "Gray-sama...Gray-sama knows that it's -" she cleared her throat and exhaled. Her cheeks burning harder now. "If Jose ever found out about _anyone _in a relationship outside of Phantom Lord's territory, things won't be good."

"Jose is more bark and no bite," Gray bit out, making Juvia bite her lip to hold back her giggle.

A tiny smile on her lips, Juvia played with her fingers. "I-if Juvia could, she wishes she could -!"

A loud, ear-splitting whistle echoed through the barriers of Gray's car, igniting the start of the race between him and the Trinity Raven rocker beside him. He stole a glance to his passenger, who went expressionless and stared ahead of her, leaving him to remind himself that this race was about her future. His foot on the gas and his right hand on the gear stick, Gray set himself on the poorly paved road on the mountain alongside with the Road Runner screeching its tires. He was thankful that they both had their seat belt straps across their torsos when he made the first out of the top, from lurching to different sides with force.

Juvia closed her eyes and breathed, feeling her heart rate slowing down with the smooth sound of the engine massaging her back in her seat and the sound of the screeching tires distracted her from reality. This was always a remedy for her, being inside a car when she was stressed or feeling ill; whether it was her driving or someone else, it was always the cars that made her feel better about everything around her, ever since she was very small.

However, riding inside Gray's car for the first time, is sparked a vivid memory that she buried deep in the back of her head. While she would be alright with her brother driving her around and make her feel better all the time, Juvia could remember how her stepfather used drive her and Gajeel around, way before her brother could drive by himself. It was different when her stepfather drove on the road, compared to her driving or even his own son's driving skills.

Whenever Gajeel's dad drove, even when he wasn't racing and just going for a slow ride, Juvia could feel how he was driving with a whole purpose behind the wheel. It was like Juvia could see her dad being part of the car, and vice versa, and then the whole world was in that one man's favor for that moment. Like now, inside Gray's car, with her in the seat, she felt how perfect and precise Gray's concentration was on the task.

Looking up, during a drifting turn where Vidaldus's ride was twisting alongside Gray, nearly pushing them over the edge into the rocky cliff, Juvia came to the sudden realization that her own hand was…

"It's okay," Gray's voice was stern, yet gentle in tone. Juvia's eyes snapped down to see her hand grasping his thick wrist in a vice grip, her knuckles turning white. Once Gray forced the gear to shift into drive, he briefly let go of the knob and flipped his palm upward. He tangled their fingers while his other hand held onto the wheel, turning it hastily. Bringing their hands up to his chin, he pressed his mouth to her stiff fingers, speaking against them. "It's going to be okay, Juvia."

But Juvia knew that. She knew that Gray had this handled perfectly in his mind, and she couldn't bring herself to doubt him. Juvia couldn't remember how she got to the point of holding onto Gray like that - she was calming down just fine! The blue haired woman certainly didn't want to come off that she was anywhere near nervous or afraid.

A sudden bump to Juvia's side made her head snap the other way, eyes sharpening to Vidaldus trying to push Gray against the rocky wall. She briefly heard Gray swear before pressing back just as hard, aiming their rides in the middle of the road. Looking ahead, Juvia saw an upcoming turn that would lead to a downhill pathway to the bottom, where Natsu, Levy and Lucy were waiting at the end of the told finish line for the winner…

"Gray-sama," Juvia said cooly, feeling him bring their hands down and back onto the knob. This time, Gray arranged her palm to grasp with his own hand holding hers in place, both gripping it tightly. Her brows creased, seeing how the two cars have not let up on their pushing against each other. This was going to cause a very dangerous issue.

"Just wait, Juvia," he said at the feeling of her hand stiffening underneath his palm. Both himself and Vidaldus were picking up speed, yet, if they were to remain pushing against each other as they make a turn, it would cause a collision and a crash no doubt. He saw how Juvia's face was calm-looking, but he knew her better.

Gray picked up more speed, intimidating his rival to do the same, but he could sense the hesitation from the Road Runner before bumping him again. Smirking, Gray glanced to Juvia and whispered for her attention and the blue haired woman blinked her way to him, raising a brow. "You think I can get a prize when I win?"

Juvia blinked again, this time in confusion. "Gray-sama, you're going to -!"

Gray stomped on the brake and made both of their hands shift the gear, stopping Juvia from responding and twisted the wheel sharply, causing a piercing shriek of the tires on the pavement. Juvia blinked when she saw in the rearview mirror of the Dodge Road Runner colliding with a boulder of the turn, having unable to turn on cue with the Subaru Impreza on the sharp turn. Its front fender was bent, but no horrible damages to the bulky car as Gray practically flew down the hill and to the end of the trail.

Gray drifted at the bottom, spinning his car into a figure eight to circle Natsu's ride, seeing how the flaming doors opened and Natsu jumped out while Lucy helped Levy climb through. Once he put the car into a stop, Gray let out a satisfied exhale and opened his door, leaving the engine running while Juvia blinked herself back to reality. Her door opened and Juvia released her seatbelt and was pulled out of the car and into a bone-crushing hug by her cousin, who was crying hard.

"Juju-chan! Juju-chaaan!" Levy shrieked as Lucy came up behind the mechanic and joined in the hug. Juvia was a little bit taken aback by the attentions she was receiving, but returned the hug with gentle, curious pats on her cousin and the blonde's backs.

In the distance Natsu approached Gray and gave him a snarky punch to his shoulder, which the dark haired man returned with a brotherly smack to the back of his head. Natsu snickered and gave his friend a thumbs up. "Had to tell the ladies that you got it covered. Poor Lucy was freaking out in her seat and covered her eyes."

Gray shrugged. "Not like I haven't done this before. Laxus is still better than I am with drift racing, I'll admit."

"Still, that was pretty neat what you did near the bottom, man," Natsu pointed out, looking up to see the Road Runner slowly making it's way down. Frowning, Natsu directed Gray's attention to how the car didn't stop, but rather sped out of the area and to the main road of the city.

Gray frowned at this, his brows settling to a frustrated crease as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "Can't even man up and leave the car?" he sniffed bitterly at the Trinity Raven's car disappearing into the road. "Poor excuse for a gang, in my opinion."

"Yeah, but hit 'em where it hurts, they won't hesitate to bring friends along," Natsu reminded him with a serious face. "Since Totomaru probably knows what's up, he'll handle it to Jose for later notes. I don't think they're going to go anywhere near the bar - for a while, at least."

Gray's eyes darted to the three girls, the two from his gang still clinging and chattering away to the mute and confused woman. Seeing her now, dressed like she was a normal girl in her summer dress, her blue hair up in a messy bun with her bangs framing her face - Gray could have seen her, never knowing who she was, and think of her as an average woman walking in the city.

But he knew better, unfortunately.

Feeling another bump to his shoulder, Gray looked back to the pink haired man, who had an odd look in his eye as he grinned like an idiot. Narrowing his eyes, Gray cocked his head to the side as he stared back at his friend.

"What is it, moron?" he bit out, but that only made Natsu grin even bigger. Gray didn't think that would have been possible, unlike that one time when Laxus caught Natsu and tried to staple Natsu's face.

"You're the knight in shining armor, icicle," Natsu cooed cheekily as he poked upwards on Gray's arm, who stiffened and his face strained in a pain/irritated look. "Wait till I tell everyone back at the garage!"

Gray grabbed the giggling Natsu by the scarf and hauled them to be nose-to-nose. "I swear to God, if you tell anyone about that, I'm gonna -!"

"Excuse me."

Both Natsu and Gray sprang apart at the sound of Juvia's soft voice interrupting them. Beside her was Lucy, her arms crossed and glaring at Natsu with an accusing hum, and Levy with her hands coiled around Juvia's bare arm. Gray cleared his throat and straightened himself before officially turning to the women.

Juvia's lips twitched to a tiny frown. "Juvia doesn't wish to be a bother, but… Juvia needs to go to the bar," she announced softly, looking down to her sandaled feet. "Juvia left her phone in her car, and Juvia is still on call tonight."

"Oh, yeah," Gray perked, running his hand through his hair. "I can take you there, no problem."

Looking to the Salamander, Gray raised a brow, hoping his pal would get the message. Natsu tilt his head before blowing a airy chuckle. "I can take Levy and Luce home for ya. I'm sure Luce would like to chat with a girl on the ride home tonight, right, Luce?" Natsu swung his gaze to the blonde, who blinked before going red in the cheeks.

"Uhm...oh! Y-yeah!" Lucy nodded hard before blushing to Levy, who was already grinning with mischievousness. "Levy-chan, we have loads to talk about on the ride home, right?"

Levy made a soft cooing noise before nuzzling her face against Juvia's shoulder. "It's not a problem with me. But, I was really hoping to spend more time with Juju-chan and Lulu-chan at the same time. That sounds like a fun idea - Ohh, Juju-chan, I wish I can bring you home with me!"

"Juvia is sorry, Levy-chan," Juvia blushed, fiddling with her fingers. "But, it's like Juvia said, she's on call and Nii-chan will be looking for Juvia when she isn't home before the night falls."

"I know, Juju-chan," Levy sighed with bliss before leaning away from her cousin, grasping both of her hands with a bright smile. Juvia couldn't help but return a half-smile. "I'll try to visit the bar sometime soon, okay? I'll bring Lulu-chan with me, so you two can get to know each other better. Is that alright with you?"

"Juvia works morning shifts for the next few weeks," the blue haired racer nodded, looking to Lucy. "Juvia will make sure to make Lucy-chan and Levy-chan special treats, if you have any preferences."

"Oh, Lulu-chan, you should try Juvia's apple pie!" Levy grinned to the blonde, who peeped in surprise. "No! You should make your chocolate cake, Juju-chan! Yeah, or maybe sundaes?"

Juvia gave a warm smile. "Juvia will figure something special out," she promised, gently squeezing Levy's hands. "Levy-chan and Lucy-chan, please have a good night, and Juvia will see you two soon?"

"Yeah, that'd be nice...Juvia-chan," Lucy flushed sweetly to the two. "It's great seeing you, too. You have a safe night, too!"

For that moment, Gray saw the Juvia that was somewhat rare to see in public. Her eyes sparkling against the lights of the sun and her lips parting to a bright and honest smile; she looked truly happy, and Gray could feel his heart race when she giggled like a little angel behind her fingertips. That moment, Gray really wished that she was born in a different life. The kind of life where she didn't have to be targeted by other gangs for her body, or she had to defend herself and jump cars at tops speed - he knew her better than that, though. Gray Fullbuster knew that Juvia Lockser, in no matter what life she was born into, she was going to have to struggle with difficult things no matter where she went.

But Gray wished that he could be there more for her, and it bothers him that he can't.

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=xxx=

AUTHOR'S ENDING NOTE - _Tokyo Drift_ was my least/most favorite of the F&amp;F series. Mainly because the casting for the main role was too old in appearance to play a seventeen year old, but I also like the idea for the plot. But, then again, I'm a big fan of the other films, too.

Don't forget to Review, Follow, Favorite or do whatever makes you happy! Kitty loves you lots, so be safe and have a wonderful day.


	7. Chapter 7

You guys are great and I love all of you very much -thumbs up and makes horrible heart with hands- Thank you for being patient for me with updates and stuff, but yeah, life is getting a tad bit hard right now.

Please remember to Review, Follow, Favorite or do whatever makes you happy!

=xxx=

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R_i_**d**e '_**e**_m _H_**a**r_**d**_

Chapter Seven

The sun setting to the horizon of the land, creating the shadowy skyline of the city and staining everything to different tints of orange and pink, Gray drove down the familiar path towards Phantom Lord's bar with Juvia in his passenger seat. After saying her goodbyes to her cousin and friends, Gray escorted her into his car and drove through the city in silence. Occasionally, Gray would looked over to see the blue haired woman's gaze looking out her window, peeking at everything they passed with curiosity written on her face. Her legs were curled on the seat, her skirt folded to conceal anything from exposure to him, an arm wrapped around her knees and her other hand to her lips. The tips of her fingers softly playing with her small chin and lower lip, she looked to be lost in her own world.

The idea of it made Gray form half of a smile and look back to the road each time he stole a look to her. Driving with one hand, he kept the comfortable silence between them until he pulled into the dirt lot of the bar she worked at. Seeing Gajeel already outside, leaning against the brick wall beside Totomaru, Gray exhaled a soft sigh as he brought the ride to a designated parking spot before killing the engine.

He was about to speak when he felt Juvia's small hand reach and grasp the collar of his leather jacket. He didn't notice what she was doing until she slowly pulled him sideway and pressed her lips to his cheek, kissing his cheekbone as he froze and inhale a sharp breath.

Gray could feel her long lashes tickle his skin and the tiny touch of the tip of her nose, he could feel his heartbeat fasten in a matter of seconds and every nerve in his body feel like little electric shocks throughout his whole body.

"Gray-sama's prize for winning. Thank you for helping Juvia," she whispered against his cheek, and Gray swore that his heart took off on a rocket and went to space.

As soon as she pressed her lips to his skin, the quick she pulled away from him and exit the car. Blinking, Gray looked between the empty seat and to Juvia's rising form for a good moment before jumping in his seat and leave the driver's side.

"Nii-chan!" Juvia called out at her approaching brother, who kept his arms crossed as he made his way over. He didn't drop his arms until Juvia held her hands up, letting the young woman jump and wrap her thin arms around his neck. Gajeel's hands gripped the back of her head and upper back, closing his eyes hard before releasing a breath he was holding. He looked to be holding in certain emotions, trying to maintain his tough and dangerous image but Gray could see the worried scrunch of the man's studded brows.

"Makin' Totomaru tell me what was going on, and I couldn't leave," the muscular man growled under his breath, hugging his sister closer to him. Juvia simply made a noise of being crushed, but didn't seem to mind as she snuggled her head on his shoulder. "Don't do shit like that to me again, ya hear? Swear to fuckin' Christ I was gonna come after ya and break every bone in anyone's body who gets in my fucking way."

"Juvia is so sorry, Nii-chan," she giggled somewhat sadly when he went on blubbering swear words as he let her go. "Juvia is fine, though, see? Nothing for Nii-chan to cry over, please."

"Ain't crying, squirt," Gajeel stiffened. "I was worried, ya hear? Don't go putting words into my mouth like that. Don't make me worry like that ever again!"

"Juvia-sama," Totomaru spoke to the siblings, smiling softly. "Welcome back, Juvia-sama. Why don't we go inside and get you something to eat. Sue and Boze haven't settled down to eat until they heard from you - I think they were worried about you."

"Oh!" Juvia gasped before looking back to Gray, bowing her head to him. "Gray-sama, thank you for bringing Juvia back, and she's so sorry for this, but Sue-chan isn't going to eat unless Juvia is back. Goodnight, Gray-sama!" With that, Juvia scurried over to Totomaru and let him lead her into the bar.

Gajeel waited until the door shut with a clang noise before looking to Gray with threatening eyes. Gray, however, didn't show any signs of backing down as he shoved his arms into his coat's pocket. The silence didn't last long as Gajeel cleared his throat thickly and looked away from Gray's face, refusing to meet his eyes.

"Thanks...for taking care of my sister."

Gray now suddenly felt uncomfortable with Gajeel's polite gesture, feeling completely out of character between the two's relationship for the past years of fighting and unable to be in the same room. Even on the roads, they were still just as hard and mean to each other.

Noticing this, Gajeel brought back his dark glare and harsh voice. "Don't you fuckin' think that I'm gonna treat you any better just because you got Vidaldus away from my baby sister, got it? The fact that you drove her here alone is enough to grind my gears, Stripper!"

"She left her phone in her car, 'kay?" Gray snapped back, standing his ground against the other man. "I couldn't let her use my phone, otherwise I'd have your number or you'd have mine!"

"I don't trust you with my number, you shit!" Gajeel growled deeply.

"Same here!" Gray hissed and they both fell quiet to their argument, staring eye-to-eye and flexing their biceps and pectorals. It good a long minute or two before both men stopped their stupid ranting; Gray shoving his hands in his pockets and Gajeel leaning against the cold wall, the sky turning more dark and streetlights were turning on.

"I made a deal with Trinity Raven to keep off of your property, and made Vidaldus to give up trying to go to Jose about Juvia," Gray stated, not really caring about who's tougher right now.

"Boze said something about that when they got here," Gajeel nodded. "Heard you bet your car, too, to reel them in."

"Had to get them to race with me somehow."

Gajeel snorted a chuckle. "Smart move, Stripper. Vidaldus is too much of a weakling to race anyone he doesn't wanna race, unless Ikaruga's into it."

Gray nodded, looking to his car that only had small paint scratches, but no major damage from when his and Vidaldus's car grind against each other. "If…" he sighed, looking to Gajeel with a serious look, making the taller man blink. "Look, if...if Juvia, or anyone, is in danger for whatever reason, or she needs someplace safe to be… Gramps really cares for you and Juvia, and he likes Sue and Boze and Totomaru. If anything is happening that you guys need someplace safer, Fairy Tail is -."

"We're fine with what we got, Stripper," Gajeel stopped him and raised a hand to stop him from talking. "We're fine with holding our own problems here. We don't need any help from Fairy Tail, so don't go thinking we need any of your charity because those fuckers in Trinity Raven weren't leaving Juvia alone. It's nothing new with us, got it?"

Gray didn't say anything else, and so Gajeel went on. "I've been taking care of squirt ever since she was a baby, and I don't need anyone outside of my gang to tell me that there's another place for her to go, because there's _not_," he said in a firm tone. Pushing himself off the wall, Gajeel gave Gray one more look of seriousness. "My sister is important to me, and her happiness is a priority of mine, too. I ain't gonna have her _friends_ try to tell me that she's not safe or she's not happy. The only reason why I fuckin' tolerate you is because Juvia's cousin is in your gang, got it? Just those two. That's it."

Gajeel walked away from the Fairy Tail member and let himself into the building, leaving Gray to watch silently before slowly turning himself around and heading back to his car.

Inside Phantom Lord's bar, Gajeel found his sister standing behind Sue, who was seated at one of the tables and finally eating her dinner that has remained untouched for a good hour. Juvia was gently petting Sue's dark hair, talking to both of the newer members as they ate, and Totomaru was fixing two more plate. Stepping closer, Gajeel caught Juvia's attention and he smirked at the sight of his sister smiling at him.

He was not expecting her to hold up a shopping bag, something he didn't know she was carrying when she got out of Gray's car. "Nii-chan! Come here," she beckoned excitedly, shaking the bag by the handle. "Levy-chan bought something for Nii-chan. Come open it!"

Blinking, Gajeel walked over and took the bag from Juvia's small hand. Looking inside, Gajeel reached in and pulled out a leather material. Once he unfolded it, Gajeel revealed a vest that was his size, plenty of pockets and large enough armholes for him to be able to fit his large arms through. Juvia looked at the vest along with everyone else, slowly smiling and holding her cheeks with both hands.

"Levy-chan got Nii-chan a new vest? Leather?" Juvia giggled at her brother's twitching face. "Juvia thought that Levy-chan was more of the dominatrix-type, but I guess Juvia shouldn't assume that her cousin would like to experiment."

Gajeel's face went to a mixture of red and purple at the eruption of laughter inside the bar. "Shut up, you dork!" he snapped to the snickering woman. "See? Ya got that weird look in your eye. You're thinking stupid thoughts, aren't you?"

"Nii-chan, try on the vest for Juvia! Juvia wants to see if it actually fits you."

Before he could respond, his cell phone that was on the table went off on vibrate and ringtone. Juvia reached over Sue to pick up the phone and hold it out to him, which he took and read Jose's contact name of the screen: Boss Bitch.

Swiping the screen, Gajeel brought his phone to his ear. "What ya want, Jose?" he grumbled under his breath, looking to his sister who had a small frown on her face. "We're tryin' to eat here."

"You and Juvia have work to do for Hades," Jose said, and Gajeel gave Juvia a curt nod and a wave of his hand. The blue haired woman nodded in return before leaving his side to go to Totomaru. "I'm sending the directions to you after the call. It's a drug shipment."

"Had fun having phone sex with your old pal?" Gajeel snorted bitterly at Jose's rude tone.

"Don't push me tonight, Gajeel," Jose growled darkly. "Get Juvia's ass moving and get to work. Hades' boss is not a patient man. Don't fuck this up."

"Since when have we ever fucked anything up?" the driver smirked and hung up on Jose, pocketing his phone into his pants. Glancing, Juvia smiled to Totomaru with a grateful clap of her hands.

"Will Toto-sensei be okay if he saves leftovers for Juvia and Nii-chan?" she asked him sweetly, being handed a pair of clothes of jeans and a tank. Atop of the clothes were gun holsters for her thighs and a pair of boots. Juvia took the clothes with a nod of thanks.

"Not a problem, Juvia-sama," Totomaru said with a smile. Glancing up to Gajeel, the older man tilt his head. "It'll be in the fridge for you two when you come back."

"Thanks," Gajeel sighed and looked back to the smaller woman carrying her bundle of clothes with a chirpy smile on her face. "Can you change in the car, squirt? Gotta haul ass."

Juvia grinned and winked. "If Nii-chan wears his new vest that Levy-chan got him tonight, Juvia will!"

Lucy stared at the ceiling in the bedroom, fiddling with the hem of the sleeve of the sweatshirt she was wearing. It was Natsu's, of course, since they noticed that it was a bit cold in his bedroom tonight. Speaking of her roommate, Lucy thought as she turned her head to her left, laid Natsu sleeping away with his arm underneath her neck and the other over his eyes like a blindfold. He was wearing a shirt this time, but Lucy can still feel his body heat warming her under the blanket she was using.

Natsu slept walked into the bedroom no longer than ten minutes ago to join her in bed, making Lucy feel less lonely with her thoughts. Lately now, she realized, that she now prefers to have Natsu sharing the bed with her - it was like a comfort for her, for some reason, and it just made her sleep a bit better. At first, waking up next to a guy was something that sparked her anger, but now she prefers it over having the bed alone.

Gently nudging under his chin, Lucy spoke quietly in the dark bedroom. "Natsu. Natsu, wake up," she whispered, resting her cheek against against his muscular arm. When his nose twitched, she knew she was getting his attention. "Natsu, wake up."

"Wassa…" Natsu gurgled, swallowing his dry throat away before blinking his brown eyes open. They were bleary, but he rubbed under them and sniffed. "Yeah...I'm up, I'm up…"

"Natsu," Lucy poked him once more before pulling her hands to tuck under her own chin, pressing her lips to the sleeves and hid her hands from the slight chill inside them.

Natsu, now fully aware, turned his head to look at the blonde woman. He frowned a bit before nodding. "Sorry 'bout that, Luce," he yawned, preparing to sit up to leave the bed. "Didn't mean to wake ya…"

But Lucy held him still by throwing her arms over his chest to weigh him down, making the pink haired man blink and look back down to her. She wouldn't look him in the eye, but slowly shook her head. "What's wrong, Luce?" Natsu asked her with confusion.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Lucy breathed through her mouth. "There really...There are gangs that try to take people as property, Natsu?" she peeped out. "If they're angry at someone, they can just try to take them or kill them. Is that how it works?"

Natsu tilt his head. He slowly rolled to his side, bringing his other hand up to push the blonde hair out of her face to see how glossy her brown eyes looked in the tiny light peeking from the window. Natsu frowned at the sight.

"What's wrong?" he asked her quietly, making her sniff. "Is it because of what happened today with Juvia?"

Lucy shrugged, rubbing her cheek against their shared pillow to catch a tear. "I just never thought, you know, that people will actually try to kill each other, if they're mad. Or even someone like that Trinity Raven gang trying to _buy_ Juvia-chan, like she was _nothing_ more than a thing hanging on the wall in a store. Juvia-chan saved my life the other night, and then they want to get back at her by either attacking the bar, or taking her?"

"Juvia and the Phantom Lord aren't in the prostitution business like Trinity Raven is," Natsu explained to her carefully, holding her cheek that wasn't against the pillow to try and make her relax. "Juvia and those guys see it as something they wouldn't be okay running, especially when they have young people like Sue and Boze with them - Juvia is very protective of Sue ever since they brought them into their gang, and so is Gajeel and Totomaru."

"But that weird creeper was trying to get Juvia-chan, Natsu," Lucy shivered. "And Levy-chan was so scared for her, and crying. I don't know why anyone could do such things to people, especially when they started it all, and Juvia-chan was just trying to help! They were the ones who started it. Levy-chan told me that, if someone pisses someone in another gang off, the whole gang has the right to even it out until they're satisfied with the okay from their boss. I don't think those guys went to their boss before confronting Juvia like that, Natsu!"

"They probably didn't, knowing them. I don't think they talk with their boss, now that I think of it. That's how some things are, Luce," Natsu sighed, rubbing his thumb across her cheekbone. "They pull shit like that and try to win in the end, but that's why we play smarter than them. Gajeel would have done the same thing for his sister, but probably push Vidaldus and his car off the top of the cliff…"

"That would've caused even more problems, right?" Lucy mumbled, seeing Natsu nod in response. Biting her lip, Lucy scooted closer to Natsu, pressing her face into his shirt and cuddling more to him. "I don't want that to happen with anyone in Fairy Tail, Natsu. It's not right."

"It's not gonna happen with us, Lucy," he told her, wrapping both of his arms around her, tugging up the thick blanket to tuck around her shoulders and rubbing her back soothingly. "I won't let that happen to you, I promise, Luce. It ain't gonna happen in Fairy Tail, or with you. Not when I'm around."

"I just don't want anything bad to happen...not to my friends," Lucy confessed quietly, curling against him. "I don't want to see my friends get killed, or see them cry because someone is trying to take them, Natsu."

"And it won't happen," Natsu hushed her gently and held her closer. "It's not going to ever happen, because I won't let it happen."

"Natsu," Lucy sniffed and clung to his shirt, hiding her face in his neck, the pillow, the blanket. She held on to Natsu and he comforted her with gentle pets and his warmth, and she didn't care if her heart was hammering against her chest for the closeness or how she wished in the back of her head that they could stay this way forever. "Natsu, please help me get tougher. I wanna get stronger so I can do better on jobs with you and everyone."

Natsu nodded and held her, rubbing his hands on her back and her head and petting her hair. "Sure. Whatever you want, Luce," he told her gently, fixing her bangs out of her face. "I can show you some self defense moves tomorrow, if you want. But, for right now, get some sleep, okay?"

"Can you stay, Natsu?" she asked him, suddenly worried that he's going to let her go and leave the bedroom. She may have hit him whenever she woke up to find his arms wrapped around her, yell at him, but now she didn't want to be alone. For Lucy, she has been alone for a long time, and now she was tired of it - she didn't want to be alone anymore.

"I'll stay as long as you want me to," he told her, a small smile on his face. "Just kick me out whenever."

"No, no. No," Lucy shook her head against him before hiding her face back in his neck. She felt his chuckle vibrate against her, and she felt warm and safe in his arms. "Please stay with me. Don't leave me alone, Natsu."

"I won't ever leave ya, Luce."

Lucy closed her eyes and fell asleep to Natsu's arms remaining around her, keeping her warm. She dreamt about her mom watching in the crowd, while she sat in the passenger seat of Natsu's car; a proud smile on her mother's face as her daughter and partner won first place over and over again.

=xxx=

"Hold on, Luce," Natsu shook his head and made his way to the blonde with an outstretched fist. Wearing only black sweatpants and his famous white scarf around his head, like a bandana, he reached up and lightly pinched her thumb. "Your thumb can't stick out like that, otherwise you're gonna lose it. Tuck it tightly under like this," he moved the thumb to its proper place and forced the fist to tighten. "It's better if you use your knuckles when you hit someone. It won't hurt as much when you hit 'em with your knuckles, but it'll make them cry when you sock them on the nose!"

"So I punch them in the nose?" Lucy pulled her fist back to take note of where her thumb should be and looking back to the punching bag with a raised brow.

"I'd say hit them in the throat first, man or woman," Natsu shrugged and took a step back. "Hitting them in the voicebox usually stuns them and hurts like a bitch, and then you go for the face as hard as possible."

"Okay, like the temple, under the chin..?" Lucy readied her body and punched the black duct tape 'X' on it with as much force as possible. "Keep thumb out of way and tight…"

"Don't forget to balance yourself on your legs, too," Natsu added, quickly bending down to grasp her ankle, quickly moving it a bit farther apart from her other. He didn't notice how she jumped with a peep of surprise while he did this. "If you're not balanced and keeping your stance, you're gonna lose your footing or fall. It's also a weak spot for someone to come up and kick you down, if they see that."

"Okay," Lucy squeaked before mentally slapping herself for her voice. However, Natsu didn't seem to think anything of it as he stood back up with his dorky grin. She readied herself and then punched the bag with force, making a colliding noise echo in the gym.

The Fairy Tail gym was on the second floor of the garage, and was large enough to hold a concert, if they wanted. Equipped with all sorts of exercising equipment, the gym served as a great place for Natsu to start showing Lucy how to kick ass and defend herself. Lucy was able to find sport tights and a tank to work out in and still be comfortable with sweating and trying to learn how to be strong. Natsu was a great instructor so far in showing her the basics, and was patient with helping her with her stance, form and showing her what she needed to start out with.

Lucy has never fought anyone before, nor even hit somebody. She was good at kicking, Natsu reminded her of that and would work with it once they finished with the punching.

"Much better, Luce. You're getting it pretty well," Natsu complimented with a grin, making Lucy's heart flutter and her confidence spiking with a bubbly grin of her own. "I would recommend firming your arm muscles with weights. The small ones, though, to start out with. Start with a five pound for a while until it becomes to easy for you to curl with."

"Okay. Should I start it now?"

"Nah, do it when you have nothing goin' on, like after work or whatever," Natsu shook his head to her. "Do it for about fifteen minutes, if you can, to start out with."

Lucy nodded in understanding and faced back to her punching bag, readying again to hit it with her best shot. Keeping her feet firmly on the ground, Lucy readied and plowed the bag with a left punch and then a right to the duct tape before stepping back and keeping her defensive stance up. Natsu clapped his hands in applause, nodding when she returned to the spot and punched one more time.

"What's going on in here?" a masculine voice spoke at the entrance of the gym, making both Natsu and Lucy turn their heads to see Gildarts and Cana walking in, both wearing sportswear and carrying a few water bottles in their arms. The taller, much more buff man looked at the two with a raised brow in curiosity. "I never see you in here during the day, Natsu."

"Lucy!" Cana perked with sudden excitement and hurried over to the blonde. "Your butt looks cute in those leggings, girl! Let me look. C'mon, turn around and stick out your tush!"

Lucy instantly went bright red in the face when Cana laughed and told her she was just teasing. The blonde woman puffed her cheeks and shook her head at the brunette, only causing her to snicker more. Holding up a bottle of water to her, Cana offered it to Lucy.

"Keep yourself hydrated," Cana noted. "It's not good for you if you don't keep drinking water."

"Says the chick who helps herself to a treat before noon," Lucy rolled her eyes and Cana stuck her tongue playfully. "Quit talking about my butt like that, Cana…"

"Not my fault that you have a cute booty," Cana winked. "Right, Natsu?"

"Hah?" the pink haired man turn his head to the two girls. He wasn't even paying attention, but that didn't stop Lucy from biting back a shriek and her face burn even hotter. "Whadd'ya say, Cana?"

"I was asking 'bout Lucy's bu-! _Hmph!" _Cana jerked when Lucy's free hand came up and covered her mouth. The blonde didn't even give her the chance to pull it away as she started pushing Cana down to the wrestling stage, farther away from the two guys. "Wait, Lucy! I didn't get to tell Natsu about - Stop that!"

"Cana, teach me some exercise moves, or something! Help me with my punches!" Lucy spoke over her friend's voice, who just blinked and groaned in defeat. "You said you know how to box, yeah? Teach me something that can dislocate someone's nose or jaw."

"Ugh, I _guess_," Cana rolled her eyes before stacking the bottles on the ledge of the padded square.

Natsu blinked in confusion before looking back up to Gildarts, who was snickering under his breath. "Did I miss something?"

"Nah, don't worry about it," the older man chuckled, waving a hand in dismissal. "Anyway, Makarov wants to see you with Erza and Gray in his office. Somethin' about for the next group race that's happening. He wants to chat with the drivers first."

"Shouldn't you be there, too?" Natsu raised a brow at him.

"Nah, he told me and Macao earlier. Laxus was informed too, but he turned it down for some reason. Something about Mira and figuring out wedding plans," Gildarts shrugged. "Crazy kids, wanting extravagant weddings and stuff - When Cornelia and I got married, we just did a tiny ceremony and party. Afterwards, we went out on a road trip for our honeymoon and it was amazing -!"

"Dad! Stop talkin' about when you and Mom got married! No one wants to hear that!" Cana shouted back to her dad, slipping the pads onto her palms. "You keep at it, and then you're gonna talk about personal things, like sex and stuff without realizing!"

"Cana!" Lucy squeaked dropping a glove while her friend boredly blinked in response. "Cana, pay attention! I'm trying to take this seriously here."

"Luce, I need to see Gramps for a minute," Natsu spoke out to the blonde, who perked at the call of her nickname. "I'll be back. Can you handle being around Cana for a little bit until I get back?"

"Sure, no problem," Lucy smiled and shoved her other glove on. "Have fun!"

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Natsu entered the office to find Erza and Makarov counting stacks of money while Gray stared boredly at one of the posters decorating the boss' wall. It was one of Makarov's birthday presents from another fellow gang boss, Bob from Blue Pegasus, modeling on hotrod. Cutting out major details of what the photograph contains, Natsu cleared his throat to catch the old man and the redheaded racer's attention. Closing the door, Natsu pounced behind Gray and onto the little office couch he was waiting on, making the dark haired man grunt from the tackle, shoving the other off.

"Flamebrain," Gray growled lowly as he set his foot on Natsu's back to keep him down.

Natsu scrambled on the weird-smelling floor against Gray's hold. "Ice prick, you lookin' for a fight? Not my fault ya weren't paying attention, jackass!"

"Natsu, Gray, knock it off right now and pay attention," Makarov grumbled. Passing off the stack of cash to Erza, who took it to add on to the pile before writing the number down for listing. "If you can't take things seriously, I'll leave it to the old guys to do the job instead, you hear?"

"What's up, Gramps?" Natsu asked with a cheeky smile.

"It's about the case the FBI has been talking about on and off with us for the last two years," Makarov crossed his arms. Once Gray and Natsu finally went silent and serious, the elderly man nodded with a raised brow. "Yeah, that one."

"The Acnologia case? I thought they said to terminate it here because of lack of activity," Gray's nose scrunched. "Didn't they say that Acnologia left the country and went south somewhere to go into hiding."

"Well, apparently they seem to have found something of interest that relate to Acnologia," Makarov explained before snapping his fingers. Erza, obeying his command, brought up a laptop to her lap and opened it, typing rapidly on the keyboard. "A few cities over a few weeks ago experienced a major break-in on a warehouse that was stocking packages to be sent over here, and they found traces of Acnologia all over it. They were trying to bring in drugs and weaponry without being detected."

"They found one of the stocks, but the rest got out without a trace," Erza said as she turned the laptop over to face the two men. The screen showed police photos of a giant crate broke open and spilling out packs of white substances and obvious high-tech guns. "The crate has an address to here, but no specific place. We think that there were smugglers working in the warehouse before we found out."

Natsu looked closer to the picture and could see a square stamp in the color black with neon blue scribbles, all too familiar with the pink haired man. Natsu's brown eyes hardened at the sight of the signature mark of FBI's most wanted criminal in the world - a drug lord and hardcore criminal who showed no mercy to anyone, not even his own clients. Acnologia was one of the most feared men in the gang world, he knew, and has been chased for as long as Natsu could remember.

"The big guys want us to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity during races or jobs given out until further notice," Makarov said seriously. "The next group races that Jason is planning is out of the ordinary, something about private investors putting in large sums of money and supplies to those who win. No rules has been sent out yet, but I'm guessing everyone is going to try them out; I have reason to believe that Acnologia is either looking for new people to take in or burn out the tougher enemies, so I want everyone on high alert whenever we leave the garage."

"What about Phantom Lord?" Gray asked, looking to the screen as Erza changed the police photos to different scenes of the crime and the material recovered on silver tables. "Is that going to change the plan on trying to get -?"

"Jose has made it clear that he is not selling his members, no matter how much I'm willing to offer," Makarov held up a hand to stop Gray, which he frowned deeper. "I already spoke to Levy about the situation, and she understands. Jose isn't going to keep us locked out of the bar or deny visits, but I'm sure he's going to keep an eye of his gangs more from now on; especially Juvia and Gajeel. I don't want you to anger Jose or Sol by your constant visits, Gray, so keep your time there short to once a week or so."

"But, if it's Acnologia," Natsu spoke, "wouldn't Jose be asking for your help? I thought you said everyone was afraid to cross paths with Acnologia. Why are we even participating in races, if he's funding them?"

Makarov sat back on his chair and kicked his legs up to the desk. "You guys were a bit too young for this, but yes, everyone is afraid of him. That's why they're taking part - because they don't know what's going to happen if they don't at least try. If anything, this may be for his own amusement."

"Acnologia is a race-fan himself, that's for sure," Erza said grimly before closing the laptop. "The FBI wants us to observe for now, until we can be sure that it's him. They don't want us to go looking for him, so we came up with a plan."

"Attend as many races possible and do your best to win to get their attention," Makarov said. "If it is Acnologia funding the races and trying to smuggle goods over here, we may have a chance to get a track on him for the FBI and attempt to take him out once we find out his spot or his weak points.

"It's been a long time since we've last heard of him. From anywhere," he went on. "He may have contracted something that is threatening his business or health, since he's suddenly popping up out of nowhere and wanting these races. He is getting rather old…"

"But we can catch him, right?" Natsu eagerly stood up on his feet. "We can catch him and get some crap out of him about -!"

"No, Natsu. We're going by what the big guys want us to do," the old man hardened to him.

"But -!"

"Enough, Natsu!" Makarov snapped, causing an uncomfortable silence in the small office. Heaving a sigh, Makarov sat up on his chair properly. "Erza, Gray. We're done here. Please put the money in the safe for me…"

Erza nodded silently before lifting a large stack of money to Gray, who passed by Natsu to take and open the door to leave. The redheaded woman took the rest and left without another word, closing the door to leave the elderly man and the young racer alone. The Fairy Tail boss looked to Natsu, who was staring down to the floor with a tight jaw and clenched fists.

"Natsu," Makarov spoke after a minute or two. "I know it's hard for you, but you can't go doing whatever it is you think it right. We _don't know_ if it's actually Acnologia out there; he could be dead and rotting for all we know, or sipping a martini on a private island off the coast. I'm not trying to get your hopes up, kid."

"But it still could be him, Gramps," Natsu said stiffly through his teeth, refusing to look up to his boss' eyes. "He could know where _he_ is, you know. Where _everyone_ is!"

"Your head is filled with 'what-if's, Natsu," Makarov shook his head slowly. "I understand where you're coming from, I do, but we can't go thinking of what this can do for us when it hasn't even started yet."

Glancing over to the wall, Makarov saw an old photo that was taken years ago. The familiar picture of himself and the older men and women with slightly youthful features stood with him, infront of classic cars and flags; a couple had children in their arms, holding up a pointed finger to the air with bright smiles on their faces. One kid in particular was on a tall man's shoulders, wearing a familiar white scarf that was too big for him at that age. Messy, pink hair in all directions, the bubbly face of the young Natsu on his father's shoulders made him stand out from all the rest, even though Igneel had that matching grin on his lips like his son.

"I know you miss your father, kid," Makarov said quietly, but he knew that the racer can hear him by the small sound of his sharp inhale. He could tell he was trying not to get his emotions the better of him. "I miss him, too, and the other people who went with him that day for the mission. There's not a day that goes by that makes me think how lucky I was to meet such a great man and his little brat."

Natsu finally looked up to the old man looking at the picture, a fondness expression on his wrinkled face as he kept looking at it. "Igneel and his pals were so much more like family than my own son, who dropped his own son off without another word and left without reason. I still think of Igneel as my own son, and you as my family, like everyone else here in Fairy Tail, kid."

Natsu's shoulders slouched in defeat. "Sometimes I think Gildarts, Macao and Wakaba still blame themselves for not going with him. Like they would have brought him back…"

"Gildart's wife was sick," Makarov explained simply, no sign of regret or sadness in his voice. "Macaro couldn't move his legs after that one accident for another six months and Wakaba was serving time at the station. It was none of their faults."

Natsu nodded, agreeing with him.

"I've noticed you haven't been trying to break into my room anymore, or with Laxus and Gray," Makarov pointed out before looking to the young man with a pleased grin. "I take it your doing good with Lucy as your roommate? Gray said something about she has kicked you out of the bed a few times."

Natsu blinked before shrugging. "Luce is cool," he said quietly, unsure to lock eye contact with the old man who was snickering more to himself. "I think she's getting more comfortable around here now, so that's a good sign. I think she's getting used to having me sleep walk or something, because she doesn't hit me anymore. It's weird."

"I remember how Igneel used to complain how you slept on top of him and nearly suffocate him," Makarov said fondly. "But, that goofball usually hogged the whole bed, so I wouldn't blame you for having to climb him for a spot. I'm sure Lucy isn't like that."

Natsu's face twisted before fixing the scarf on his head, hiding the slight blush on his cheekbones from the old man. "It ain't like what you're thinking, Gramps…"

"Whatever you say, boy."

=xxx=

Erza cracked her eyes open at the sound of Lucy surprised shriek when Natsu lifted her up by the hips and started carrying her around. The blonde woman whined and lightly smacked Natsu on the back repeatedly while Cana perked with delight and jumped on Gray's back, who was sitting at Mirajane's bar, making him choke on his drink. The redhead woman smiled at the sight of the younger adults fooling around in the garage and bicker with each other like family. Lisanna came from the kitchen to see the activity before gasped with a grin and clapped her hands.

"Chicken fight!" she suggested loudly.

"What? No!" Lucy cried. "I don't want to fall and land on my head!"

"No, no," Lisanna giggled as she pulled out two towels from her apron pockets, making Cana laugh with encouragement as Gray eventually got up from his seat and let the half-sober woman climb on his shoulders like a cat. From Erza's point, Gray didn't seem to happy about having the brunette on his shoulders, but he didn't miss Natsu's eyes spark with fire at the challenge. "Try to steal the other's towel, and then there's the winner! No pushing the other off is the only rule. I'll be the referee!"

"Come on, icicle," Natsu snickered darkly as he lifted Lucy to his shoulders and holding her bare thighs, making her squeal and go red in the face. "I bet Cana will fall asleep before you can get anywhere near winning! Luce, put the towel in your boobs, so Cana can't reach!"

"No way!" Lucy gawked when Lisanna snuck behind them and slipped the towel in the back of Lucy's tank, putting it securely by the bra strap. The blonde smacked Natsu on top of his head while Lisanna scurried over to Cana and Gray to do the same. "Natsu, I swear to God, if you drop me -!"

"I'll use myself to break your fall, Luce, I pinky promise!" the pink haired man brightened at Lucy's will to give in to the game, even though it probably wasn't. "Just make sure we win!"

"Ya make it sound like you know you're going to lose, flamebrain," Gray taunted playfully, making Natsu straighten and spit fire at him, making Erza chuckle.

Sudden weight to her chest made Erza look down to see Jellal resting his head on the swell of her breasts. Having half of his body on Erza's hood, he didn't move any farther than to just plop his head with his eyes closed. Smiling softly at her husband's mute behavior, Erza tangled one of her hands into his blue hair, lightly massaging his scalp to hear him sigh against her shirt, feeling the heat of his breath through the material.

"Having fun watching the kids?" Jellal muttered quietly, fixing his head to take a small peek upward to Erza's grinning face.

Erza brushed some of Jellal's bangs from his eyes, pressing a light kiss to his hairline. "Just fine," she answered just as quietly. "Tired?"

Jellal simply shrugged and hid his face between Erza's breasts, making her stiffen and go red in the face. When it usually came to affectionate gestures between husband and wife, Erza was cool and collected around everyone - however, it wasn't the same with more intimate moves her husband makes in public, like spanking her butt or being openly loving to her chest. Erza is the kind to get flustered and embarrassed at moments like this, even though no one is paying any attention to them, but rather to the game going on by the bar.

"J-Jellal," Erza stuttered under her breath, trying lightly to push him off. But Jellal kept leaning on her and making her shake shyly and go even redder on her cheeks. "Jellal, god damn it!"

"You're stressed," he said softly his hands reaching up to wrap loosely around his wife's laying form on her car. Pulling her a little bit his way, Jellal buried his face into her hot neck. "I can tell. You've been serious and stiff ever since Master Makarov told us about Acnologia. Is that what's been bothering you?"

Still blushing, Erza pouted and gripped the back of his head with one hand, while her other wrapped around his shoulders. From the distance, they looked to be simply cuddling with each other, which was the norm among the couple here in the gang's garage. "Surprised you have been keeping tabs on my behavior, rather than my ass…"

"I have learned to multitask," Jellal chuckled before pressing a kiss under her ear. "We've been married for so long and you think I can only pay attention to one thing?"

"You still don't know the time of day when I get you out of your imagination."

Jellal looked her in the eye with a smirk that made her heart beat a little bit faster than usual, making her regret her little retort but soon relaxed again when he tucked a lock of her long, red hair behind her ear. Having known each other since they were just young children, Erza sometimes forgot how well her husband knows her inside and out, body and mind; she really shouldn't be surprised that Jellal picked up the smallest hint of her own struggles with life.

"Don't worry about it too much," Jellal said softly, giving Erza a kiss on her cheek. "Makarov said that it's a possibility of Acnologia, or one of his members," he gave her another on her opposite cheek, making that small smooch noise that made Erza bite back a laugh. "We're not part of his gang anymore. We're in a better place than we were years ago." One light, too quick of a peck on Erza's lips made her pout, wrapping her arms around his neck and tilt her head when he brought them both to sit up on the hood.

"We're happy, right?" Jellal pressed letting his wife touch her forehead with his.

"Yes, we are," Erza confirmed before pulling him close to subtract the distance of their mouths. Erza kissed him happily, ignoring the shouts of Natsu and Gray arguing and Lucy crying about how Cana didn't need to grab her chest like that. The noises of Levy working with the mechanics and Mirajane laughing in the distance at something Macaro said added more points to how alive the garage can be. It made Erza's heart swell with joy and happiness that her new and forever family were good people at heart, enjoying life so much better than the people she and Jellal grew up with.

Pulling back, Erza smiled mischieviously as she glanced to see no one paying attention to them. "Jellal, how about we go to bed a little bit early tonight?" she suggested sweetly.

Her husband blinked. "Do I look that tired to you, Erza?"

"You idiot," she sighed before whispering something into his ear, making the blue haired man's eyes widen and cheeks pink. Once she pulled back and gave him a pointed look, he gave her that sexy smile she always loved to see. "Well? What do you say, Jellal?"

He didn't say much but practically yanked Erza off of her car and lift her into his arms. The way he moved through the garage to the elevators went unnoticed by most occupants in the garage, but Mirajane could see the familiar haste Jellal took to carry his wife away. Smiling, Mirajane kept her observation to herself when Laxus saw his fiancee smiling with a look in her eye.

"What's up, Mira?" he asked, catching Macao and Wakaba from drinking their beer.

The platinum-blonde simply shook her head and pushed Laxus's hair away from his eyes. "Just thinking how amazing it is to be with everyone here, saving the day one bad guy at a time like superheros…"

Laxus made a face of confusion, but didn't question her further. Shrugging, the bulky man went back to doing his usual paperwork that his grandfather asked help for. "Whatever you say, Mira. You always think of the most obvious things."

=xxx=

"Ouchy, ouchy, ouchy..!" Natsu whined childishly as Lucy applied pressure with the towel to his bleeding nose. The blonde didn't react to his complaint, rolling her eyes as she pinched his nostrils shut and tilt his head back. "Owowwy, Luce!"

"Quit acting like a baby and try to stop the blood flow, Natsu," Lucy said as she grasped his wrist with her free hand and brought it up to his nose. "Pinch it tight and keep your head tilt back for a while." Once Natsu slowly obeyed her instructions, Lucy let go to sit down on the sofa.

They were in the living room of their apartment on the couch, which also served as Natsu's bed before he stumbles out in the middle of the night. The fluffy comforter and pillows were tangled on the cushions as they both sat there with the TV on for background noise, playing a movie on one of those late-night channels. Natsu was under the blanket and Lucy helped herself next to him with the blanket settled on her lap.

During their chicken fight in the garage, Cana accidentally kicked Natsu hard on the nose, prompting referee Lisanna to stop the game due to injury. The pink haired man didn't drop Lucy, as promised, and sat her down on the counter with his eyes shut tight to hold back his tears as blood began dripping from his nose. Cana shrieked and apologized to him in as many languages and ways possible after jumping off of Gray, who sighed at the state of his friend. Lucy used the towel that was her treasure for the game to hold his nose, explaining that she will help Natsu back to their apartment and treat his nosebleed.

And now here they were, Natsu making weird noises and Lucy shaking her head.

"Ca'a haz feet ah brickz," Natsu said stuffily and Lucy sighed and fixed the blanket to cover them both more, trying to make him more comfortable. "Ah 'e di'nd win…"

"We can try again sometime," Lucy said simply leaning back on the couch, briefly looking to the TV while Natsu made a noise of agreement. "But, for safety measures, let's do it properly in a pool, so we don't have to worry about anyone falling to their deaths."

"Yaha," Natsu tried to nod, but Lucy's hand came up to stop him.

"Don't move your head, Natsu. Keep it tilt back," she said sternly, but softness in her voice when he gurgled and flopped his head back on the cushion. Smiling, Lucy lightly rubbed his chin and covered chest before letting his go, leaning a bit to rest against Natsu. "Good. Stay that way until the bleeding stops - you should be able to tell when you can't taste iron anymore."

"Mm-hmm…" Natsu breathlessly huffed his shoulder, but letting Lucy lean on him comfortably. "Ahn you, Looshy."

Lucy hummed sweetly before grabbing the remote off of Natsu's lap. "Want me to change the channel? Not sure if you prefer this movie or not, but it was on when I switched the TV on…"

Natsu just shrugged, listening to what was on the TV. He nudged Lucy a little, making her turn her head up to look at him. "An ya 'ook ah mah nahz?"

Lucy rolled her eyes fondly before sitting up, letting Natsu remove the stained towel to peer at his nose. "Taste the iron anymore, dork?"

"A little, but I don't think I trust my sense of taste too well right now," Natsu sniffed lightly, his speech much more clear without the towel plugging his nose. But then again, Lucy figured he would have naturally did that with his personality, especially when he couldn't tell if he could taste blood or not. Natsu was just Natsu.

Red stains on his upper lip and chin stood out on his tan skin, little splatters around the rims of his nose and she knew that was what was causing him to sniff constantly as she looked. Overall, she hasn't seen any more bleeding like before. "You seem okay now. Doesn't look like you're bleeding any more."

Natsu brought his head up, making the tips of their noses touch until she pulled back in time. She was lucky she moved quickly, or they could have… Well, Lucy was just lucky. Sporting his cheeky grin, Natsu was delighted.

"Oh yay," he said stupidly, completely oblivious to Lucy's red cheeks as she pulled the fluffy blanket up to her chin, eyes wide in shyness. "I thought I was gonna have to stay like that all night!"

"If you pinch hard enough and just tilt your head back, then you're fine," Lucy peeped quietly, and she couldn't help herself but imagine Natsu sleeping with tissues shoved up each nostril and snoring. Smiling a bit at the image in her head, Lucy sighed and leaned her head back on his muscular, warm arm. "I bet Gray is going to tease you for that, hm?"

"Probably, but then I can just make him match with me! You think it'll leave a bruise at all? I don't wanna look like a wuss with just a purple nose, you know?" he thought up suddenly, looking down to see his roommate shake her head. "Good, so I don't have to worry about my good image for the races then!"

"When is our next one, Natsu? Do you know?" Lucy asked, feeling somewhat tired from her workout earlier in the day and having to fight with Cana all while on Natsu's shoulders.

"Ah, lemme think," Natsu hummed, resting his head back on the cushion, staring at the ceiling with sleepy eyes. "My head feels a bit dizzy."

"Because of the nosebleed, Natsu," Lucy reminded him, making him mutter an 'Oh yeah', and going back to reminding himself of their schedule.

"The day after tomorrow, we got a race with a bunch of gangs," Natsu said finally and Lucy closed her eyes and nodded in understanding. "I think it's just for fun, but there's money prizes with it. But Gramps assigned us to deliver a package with a tracking device to a drug lord for the FBI - nothing too dangerous, though; we just need to drop the bag in some public parking lot and go."

"Okay," Lucy breathed before curling up on the couch. "Is it early in the morning?"

"Around noon, when a lot of people are out for lunch so it doesn't look suspicious," Natsu explained, crossing his arms and kicking his feet to the coffee table. Stealing a peek down to the dozing blonde, Natsu raised a brow. "You falling asleep already, Luce?"

"Mm," Lucy made a noise and a small shrug, yet her body was slowly turning down. She was tired, and Lucy didn't want to bother with getting up to go change or go to bed. Her aching muscles were keeping her still, so she'd rather calm down here on the couch until then. It was rather calming to listen to the TV and someone else breathing near her, like she wasn't alone anymore.

Bringing up her arm that wasn't squished between her and Natsu, she draped it over his abdomen like she usually would with her pillow. It was usually Natsu being the bigger spoon when she snuck into bed, but she could care less about who was being cuddled at the moment. Within minutes, Lucy fell asleep with a small smile on her face as she cuddled closer to Natsu, relishing how warm and firm he is against her too-soft skin.

Natsu didn't seem to mind that Lucy fell asleep on him. He watched her go limp and breathe slowly against him with a curious twitch of his mouth, his hand coming to rest atop of her slim arm and she made a soft sigh with a tiny smile. Perking a grin, the pink haired situated himself and his partner to a more comfortable position on the couch, making sure that Lucy got most of the blanket and enough room to move around in her sleep.

Thinking back to what Makarov and himself spoke about earlier, he could feel his cheekbones flaming a little at the sudden realization of how close him and Lucy actually are compared to when they first met. The memory suddenly made him think of what his own father would have thought about him bringing a girl - a rich man's daughter at that - back to the garage and recruiting her for Fairy Tail.

Resting his head on the couch once more, Natsu thought out how Lucy Heartfilia was pretty rough in the morning with her shoes; her amazing cooking skills that he truly believes is so much better than Mirajane's own meals, or how she had the mind of a car designer, being able to name cars with all the paint and added accessories that hid the original content of the vehicle. Lucy was nice and fierce at the same time, and understanding and stubborn…

Natsu eventually fell asleep with the conclusion. Yes, Igneel would have approved of Lucy very much.

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=xxx=

AUTHOR'S ENDING NOTE - Not really how I wanted this chapter to go, but I'm not complaining as of right now o3o Next chapter will hopefully be better!

Until then, enjoy yourselves and don't forget to Review, Follow, Favorite or none of the above! Be happy and be safe for me!


	8. Chapter 8

This chapter contains probably the most BrOTP moments so far in this story, and I'm really, really pleased on the responses of Gajeel being Juvia's step-brother and really caring for her wellbeing. As I said last time, the plot is going to start showing hints and things that will put into this AU, and I am also working on how many chapters are left until this is completed (working ahead helps me a lot).

So, please enjoy and please Review, Follow and Favorite, or nothing at all. Hearing from readers makes me happy and I want everyone to enjoy themselves. Stay happy and hopefully the next update will come soon!

=xxx=

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R_i_**d**e '_**e**_m _H_**a**r_**d**_

Chapter Eight

Gajeel Redfox woke up to the feeling of a pillow falling on his head.

Cracking his rusty-colored eyes open, the twenty-seven year old grabbed the pillow off of his face and sat up from his makeshift bed on the floor of his bedroom. Looking to his left side, Gajeel grumbled at the sight of his step sister still sleeping on the small bed; her blue hair wrapped in a messy bun and wearing a large t-shirt and soft shorts, the young woman pulled her blanket over her head and made a soft whine in her sleep.

Their bedroom was still dark for early morning and Gajeel didn't feel like checking his clock to see the exact time. In their tiny, tiny sized apartment, it was dark and cramped with the bed shoved in one corner and the dresser against the wall on the other side while Gajeel took the floor with extra blankets and sheets to make his own bed. Plain white walls and worn down furniture, it was the usual sight he and his sister woke up to every morning since he was fourteen and she was just seven.

It was thanks to his early growth spurt that he abandoned the single-sized bed to his tiny sibling and make use of the floor.

Seeing her roll towards the wall and make another noise, Gajeel rolled his eyes and nudged Juvia gently. "Hey, squirt. Move your head," he ordered quietly. It wasn't enough to wake her up, but Juvia blindly raised her head from the mattress, letting Gajeel slip the pillow back under to support her head. "Okay, all done, kid."

Juvia's head fell like a pile of lead, sighing sweetly and burrowing her face into the feathery content of her pillow. She made an odd noise that he took as thanks and lightly pat her head. Fixing the blanket to clear her nose and mouth for her to breathe, Gajeel stood up and quietly left the bedroom, closing the door quietly so he didn't wake Juvia up.

After using the bathroom and scrubbing his face to get rid of the sleep, Gajeel stumbled downstairs into the empty bar. Roaming into the kitchen behind the curtain, the muscular man went instantly to the pantry and fridge, opening drawers and the metal door to look for something to eat. After being able to get a couple hours of shut-eye after taking care of Jose and Hades' dirty work of delivering packages the other night and then instantly put to a one-on-one race with an unwanted goon trying to get into town, Gajeel and his sister haven't eaten, slept or took a break for the past forty-eight hours or more. He lost count.

Not wanting to bother Totomaru so early in the morning, Gajeel took the liberty of his pride to find ham and eggs in the fridge and a clean pan on the racks. He really didn't mind making food for himself and his sister, since he used to do it back in the day before joining Phantom Lord and his folks were out and about. Before Juvia's mother passed away when her daughter was three, Gajeel liked it when the only mother-figure in his life took the time to teach him little things that would help him in the future.

Cooking the two slices of ham before cracking the eggs, he faintly heard feet coming down the wooden stairs and approach the kitchen. The curtain being pushed aside, Gajeel was met with the sight of Juvia with half-lidded eyes and pouting lips with a familiar cell phone to her ear.

Gajeel made a soft growl and leaned away from the stove in irritation. However, Juvia gave him a tired smile before turning her attention back to the phone.

"No, Jose," Juvia said seriously, rubbing her eye with her free hand. Gajeel's stare hardened to a dark expression. "No, we have this covered… Yes, he is awake, too. Yes, Jose."

Jose must have cut from Juvia, since she removed the phone from her ear and shut the device off from the call. Sighing tiredly, Juvia leaned her head to the doorframe of the kitchen before looking to Gajeel. "Hades called again. His boss wants us to take out a client of his who was working behind his back with shipments and taking money."

"I should've brought my phone with me," Gajeel grunted sourly. "Sorry about waking you up like that, kid."

"Juvia doesn't mind it."

"What time is it?" Gajeel asked her, crossing his arms with the spatula in one hand.

Juvia peeked to the phone before holding up four fingers, making the taller man growl darkly and mutter curses under his breath. The blue haired racer offered him a small smile. "Nii-chan, it's not that big of a deal. Jose told Juvia that it's just a quick hit and run, and they have a tracker on the car he's trying to escape in. It's all going to be sent to your phone in a minute."

"Feel like the asshat boss of his is just keeping us on our feet all the damn time," Gajeel scowled at her looking at the 'better' of things. "When was the last time you've taken your medication, huh? Or slept longer than six hours? If you keep that up any longer, you're going to break down and probably have a grand mal."

"Juvia feels fine, Nii-chan," she assured him, standing up from her spot at the door and step further into the kitchen, a sleepy smile on her face. Reaching up, Juvia looped her arms with Gajeel's muscular bicep, snuggling her head against his arm. "Nii-chan can finish making food while Juvia gets the car ready, okay? Afterwards, we can come back and make pancakes for everyone."

"You and your pancakes," Gajeel huffed, checking the ham and eggs before adding pepper to them. "You're going to sleep when we get back. Sue will take your shift at bar tonight so you can rest up."

"Toto-sensei has a test for Sue-chan to take, and she still needs to study," Juvia reminded him before letting him go. "Juvia doesn't mind, Nii-chan. It's just for tonight, and Juvia will take longer breaks."

"Tch, it's not gonna do ya any good like that, squirt." Gajeel pulled out a plate and set the bread in the toaster. "I'm gonna talk to Jose and Sol 'bout giving you time off for a while. This is too much for you to take in without respecting your condition."

"They don't care for Juvia's condition. Nii-chan knows that," Juvia frowned and wacked her brother lightly with the back of her hand on his arm. "And remember that we need to impress Hades and his boss _together. _Nii-chan is not doing things without Juvia anymore, remember? You promised Juvia not to leave her behind."

Knowing that it was pointless to argue with her any more, Gajeel huffed once more and faced his cooking. "I remember."

"Juvia is going to get dressed and bring Nii-chan a shirt," she told him softly and he listened as she went back to the entrance of the kitchen. "The car will be ready in ten minutes, so bring breakfast on paper towels. Toto-sensei is getting suspicious why his good plates are disappearing."

"Who's the guy we're gettin', squirt?" Gajeel asked quickly before she left. Juvia stopped to think of what Jose told her on the phone.

"Uhm...Jose said that his name was Zancrow?" Juvia shrugged lightly. "Juvia's never heard of him before, so he must be someone from out of the city."

Juvia left the kitchen to go back upstairs, missing her brother's reaction of his back stiffening and his hands freezing midair from finishing breakfast. The toaster popped and the scent of burning ham made Gajeel quickly shut off the stove and remove the pan quickly to reduce the chance of fire as vivid memories flashed through his mind.

Once he figured heard Juvia's steps on the floor above him, the racer let out a strangled breath before shaking his head. He had heard of Jose's plan of an upcoming pack of races Jason was organizing with a private investor, wanting him and Juvia to take part, but with Sue, Boze and Totomaru to get involved in it, too…

"Can't be Acnologia," he growled under his breath. "Jose wouldn't work for Acnologia, even if he had him hanging by the neck. The fuck is Zancrow doin' here?"

=xxx=

Mirajane woke up her fiance by gently shaking his shoulders and pressing little kisses on his blond head. The husband-to-be made some of his usual grumbling noises, somewhat a mix between a dog and a penguin, she guesses, and roll to his stomach. Mirajane giggled sweetly before climbing on his back, gently tickling his ribs and nuzzling her nose to his thick neck.

"Laxus-kun," she cooed when he made a deep whine against the pillows they had on their shared bed. "Laxus, wake up. Master Makarov wants to see us, honey."

"'Bout _what_?" he growled, heaving a large sigh that gently rose Mirajane's curvy body and back down when he exhaled. "I told him that the papers were on his desk. Can't he understand simple words?"

Wearing her favorite pink nightgown, Mirajane fixed the thin straps on her shoulders before plopping her upper body on his bare back. "Come on, Laxus. Everyone is waiting for us at the bar and we're the only ones left. He said it was important."

"Too early to deal with the kids, Mira."

"It's just Erza, Jellal and the Three Musketeers, honey," she told him softly, snuggling her face against his warm skin. She felt Laxus sigh and slowly move under her, and she got up and picked out some pants from the floor of their bedroom. Once she found him slowly rising from the bed in his sweatpants, she smiled and gave him a good morning kiss. "Come on, slowpoke. We're gonna be late for the party, if we don't hurry."

Mirajane strolled happily in her bunny slippers out of their apartment with her hubby in tow, going to the elevator and taking the ride down to the garage where everyone was already sitting and talking casually to each other. Once Mirajane locked her blue eyes with a familiar redheaded woman, she scurried over to hug Erza, who was sharing a mug of hot tea with Jellal, who still appeared to be half-awake, like Laxus was, his head tipping up and down from dozing.

"Morning, Erza-chan," Mirajane sang softly while Erza rolled her eyes at her friend's joyful rays of sunshine. "Did you and Jellal sleep well last night? You two went to bed awfully _early_, in my opinion."

When her friend's cheeks went as red as her hair, Mirajane knew she got her good. "Sh-shh!" Erza's brown eyes snapped to her smiling, yet naughty face. "That's none of your business, Mira…"

"I'm just teasing, Erza-chan," Mirajane cooed again before pressing her cheek to Erza's boiling one in a affectionate snuggle. "I don't want to make my Maid of Honor to get mad at me for teasing about your sex life, ne?"

"Mira, leave Erza alone," Laxus said with a yawn, making the platinum blonde giggle and let go of Erza. "Keep it up with her and she's going to bite you again, like last time."

"I think that was a love bite," Mirajane grinned, making Erza go limp in her arms and lean towards Jellal. Looking up to see Makarov enter with his laptop in his hands, Mirajane got everyone's attention. "Good morning, Master Makarov!"

Macao smacked Gildarts awake while Wakaba leaned back to give a welcoming nod to the old man. "What did ya need, Makarov? We were starting to wonder if you were just testing to see if we could actually get up."

"I had to get my computer," Makarov sighed before going around the counter and using the stepping stool to reach up to a wooden chair set behind the counter. "I'm sorry for making all of you guys wait like that, but this is rather important and I would like it if the kids didn't hear about this first."

"What's up, Gramps?" Laxus crossed his arms while everyone tuned in on the older man opening his laptop.

"The cops found a body today near the docks, right where the border of the city exits to the mountains," Makarov said as he pressed a few keys on the keyboard. "They called me this morning when they identified the body, and I wanted you guys to help me with it."

Setting the laptop on the counter, Makarov looked to Erza and Jellal with a concerned look in his eyes, making the married couple frown at his behavior. Sighing, Makarov looked back to the blue-lit screen with a stern expression. "Jellal, Erza...do you know of a man named Zancrow."

Jellal's eyes widened and Erza looked down to her lap. "Zancrow...yes, we know of him," Erza swallowed thickly, and Mirajane could see something in her best friend's brown eyes that didn't sit well with her. "He was Acnologia's client and one of his allies from years ago. Probably a distant relative, or something."

"He was one of the co-leaders to Acnologia, specifically to the part where Erza and I are from as children," Jellal added. "He disappeared with Acnologia, from what we remember, but only after trying to dispose of the children they had…"

"That was around the time you two got out, no?" Makarov asked.

Erza and Jellal nodded. "A few of us were able to get out, but not many survived because of Zancrow," Erza said. "One of our good friends, his name was Simon, was killed when he was caught trying to escape with us. He was one of the older kids who watched out for us, the smaller ones."

Heaving a rough sigh, Makarov turned the computer screen for everyone to see and both Erza and Jellal visibly froze at the sight on the laptop. A police photo of a dead man lying on the pavement with his skull bashed to pieces, the blond hair the man had was stained with red while the rest of his body was covered in ashes, having been set on fire. The man's eyes were wide open in agonizing pain as his body was sprawled in a weird position, showing that he had suffered and scrambled around before his death. Gildarts whispered a 'damn' under his breath while Macao whistled lowly.

Mirajane looked to Erza, who looked away from the screen and covered her mouth with her hands. Jellal nodded slowly to Makarov, confirming that it was indeed Zancrow's body on the photo. "They found his car at the docks, too, with residue of drugs and money in the backseat. The whole front of his ride was smashed, and they guessed he hit his head on the windshield on impact with no airbag. Someone yanked him out and poured gasoline on him and set him on fire to kill him. There are no prints on him or his car."

"So it was really Zancrow in the city, and not Acnologia?" Wakaba raised a brow, playing with the folded pack of his cigarettes. "Done deal, right? The races are off and case goes cold."

"Apparently not," Makarov shook his head. "Jason sent out a message about prize money doubling to racers who win the races being set up. It doesn't look like Zancrow had anything to do with funding, but was rather trying to make a run for it."

"And someone caught him before he could make it out of here," Laxus finished with a sneer. Looking to Jellal wrapping an arm around his wife, who remained mute and unresponsive, the blond man was hesitant of his question. "Does...the attack look familiar at all to you guys? Do you think you can tell who did it to him?"

"Zancrows form of torture was setting people on fire with gasoline," Jellal said lowly, guiding Erza's head to rest on his shoulder. "Whoever was able to do this to him knew of his habit and turned it against him. Did they get any traces on the wreck, Master Makarov?"

The elderly man shook his head, making Macao huff. "You think the guy knew what he was doing when he took Zancrow out. How long has it been since anyone could touch a hair on that man? Someone definitely had it against him, that's for sure."

"Too bad it wasn't us," Gildarts growled.

"That's not what we're gathered here for," Makarov snapped, closing his laptop. "This is a sign of rebellion and war starting here in the city, so that means shit is about to hit the fan. Everyone is going to be on edge about this with Acnologia's men being targeted and it's likely other gangs are going to go at each other's throats, and we are no exception outside the garage."

"So what are we going to do?" Laxus asked.

"I want change of plans," Makarov sniffed bitterly. "The big shots aren't taking this action seriously as they should, so we're gonna do things a bit differently: I want all of you to keep eyes and ears open all day and everyday. Whatever is said at the races, on the streets, or within these walls, I want you to report to me. Things like this hasn't happened anywhere for nearly twenty years, and there's a reason why it's starting again."

"You think it has something to do with the old S-Class, Makarov?" Wakaba raised a brow, knowing that was what was on everyone's mind, including Mirajane's. "You think it could be the Igneel or someone trying to -?"

"It's too early to tell, but it is a possibility," the elderly man sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "But, until we know for sure what the hell is going on, I don't want the kids to know about this. This is all between us, see?"

Everyone nodded, and Mirajane looked back to her best friend while her boss continued. "Keep an eye on the kids and keep them safe whenever we step out of the garage. Natsu is already thinking that his father is somewhere out there and is itching to go hunting' for Acnologia. With the Phantom Lord, too, since Jose has a new client and he has a few kids in his care. Knowing him, he's gonna do something stupid.

"I already talked to Blue Pegasus, and they're pulling out of the races with the excuse of a break into their garage and their rides were damaged," he went on. "They think whatever is causing all this mayhem is going to put the cops on the streets more often, so they don't want to risk getting caught in the crossfire. I suggest everyone stay armed inside and outside the car, just incase. Conceal and carry what you can and try to get the kids to do the same."

"Isn't this a bit too much for something we barely know?" Gildarts' face scrunched with displeasure.

"I'd rather be ready ahead of time than be caught without, Gildarts," Makarov's eyes narrowed before looking to Mirajane, who remained standing tall and collected. "Mira, I know this may be a lot to ask, but I would like you to ride with Laxus and join the crowd at the races. See if you can pick anything up."

"Of course," Mirajane nodded seriously.

"Whoa, I said I didn't want shit, Gramps!" Laxus snapped. "I thought we agreed to leave me out of races until after the wedding. And don't put Mira out in the public when they haven't seen her in so long! That's sketchy enough as it is!"

"But Acnologia doesn't know that. And I want all my best racers out there keeping an eye out." Looking around the counter for a good minute, Makarov took in every face present carefully. "You guys are more than criminals, homeless and trouble makers to me; I consider everyone here and those still asleep in their beds upstairs family, and I will not take things likely. If Acnologia is indeed back, I'm not going to take chances in putting my family's lives in danger, got it? Blood is thicker than water."

"Blood is thicker than sweat," Macao added in, crossing his arms in defeat, but determination in his eyes.

"Thicker than booze," Gildarts nodded.

Wakaba tilt his head back with closed eyes. "And much more thicker than any of the liquids pulsing in our rides."

"You all are better than what the law puts you to be, and that's why you're here working between the the law and the road," Makarov said strongly, and Mirajane could feel her heart swell with pride of how far she and her siblings have come, along with her friends and comrades. "You have proved all who has done you wrong that you're better than the bad guys on the TV or the papers. Remember that you are part of Fairy Tail, and your lives matter."

After the meeting at seven in the morning, Makarov dismissed the members and returned to his office. Gildarts left to go back to bed before Cana woke up, and Macao and Wakaba left to tend to their rides on the other side of the garage while the slightly younger adults remained at the bar. Laxus sighed before wrapping his muscular arms around Mirajane, making her smile at his affectionate gesture. Looking up, Mirajane was awarded to a light kiss on her forehead by her fiance.

"I'm heading back to bed," he mumbled against her exposed forehead, making her giggle. "Wake me up if I sleep in too late, 'kay?"

Feeling him lightly pinch her rear, Mirajane rolled her eyes and nodded. "Alright, sweetie," she said softly. Stealing a glance to Jellal and Erza still in their seats, the platinum blonde's eyes softened when she noticed how the man ran his fingers through Erza's long red hair. "I'll see you in a while, Laxus-kun."

Understanding her tone of voice, Laxus nodded before giving one more kiss to her head and leaving, letting Mirajane clasp her hands in front of her before approaching the married couple in quiet steps. Reaching with both hands, Mirajane slipped her palms onto Erza's stiff shoulders and leaned down to press her upper body and head against her in a cuddling manner.

Closing her blue eyes as she snuggled her head against her best friends', Mirajane hugged Erza close to her after hearing a quiet sob. "Are you okay, Erza-chan?" she asked quietly when Jellal sat up, but holding his wife's hands tightly. "What's wrong sweetie pie?"

Despite their old competition the two women had on the roads, Mirajane and Erza had a close relationship, like sisters, and have considered each other their support for years. Ever since Erza and Jellal joined Fairy Tail, the two women have been best of friends and it was Mirajane who confided her troubled past with Erza and vice versa. Mirajane knows about the two's dark past of being of Acnologia's gang as children, and she always knew when Erza is struggling with her thoughts about her past…

"It's okay, Erza-chan. You know that," Mirajane cooed softly when Erza finally looked at her with unshed tears. She wasn't crying at all, and Mirajane took it as a good sign. Cradling the S-Class woman's head to her chest, Mirajane rocked her gently in her hold. "It's good that Zancrow is gone, right? He was the one that gave you those nightmares, now he can't hurt you anymore."

Erza nodded, her voice a bit scratchy from containing her cries. She tried her best to smile, yet Mirajane just soothed her to relax, whispering that it was okay. "It's just that...you know, last time I saw someone get burned alive like that…" Erza shook her head slowly, hands squeezing Jellal's tightly.

The blue haired man looked up to Mirajane with a tired look in his eyes. "Simon, our friend who passed away when we escaped as kids, was killed that way," he explained quietly, rubbing his thumbs across his wife's knuckles. "Zancrow shot him in the leg and set him on fire while we hid in the vents. We wanted to stop him, but he had guns and we didn't."

"He's gone now," Mirajane told both of them, offering a small smile. "He's gone and he's not going to hurt anyone ever again."

"I just wish...it was me," Erza whispered against Mirajane, causing both her friend and husband to look her way. Her face was sad, Mirajane could tell, but her eyes read anger; a distant memory that haunted her best friend's mind for years and shared the pain with her beloved. Brown eyes didn't shed tears for the recently deceased, no, because the man who was murdered brutally from slipping out of the city was not worth tears of mourning. Mirajane could see the rage inside the redhead, the rage that was only reserved to the ones who caused hell to the innocent. For Jellal, Mirajane knew he felt the same, but he was so much more reserved with his demons - his only wish to support and love Erza with everything he has.

"I wish it was me who took that fucking piece of shit out with my bare hands," Erza growled under her breath. " I wish I killed that man slowly, just like he did to Simon..!"

"He died in pain and slowly, babe," Jellal whispered, bringing her hands up to kiss her fingers. "Whoever did it without us did a good favor of not letting him get away."

Erza nodded, letting Mirajane snuggle her once more with the kind of affection that was reserved for her family. "How about I get you some cheesecake, Erza-chan," she suggested sweetly, fixing Erza's bangs from hiding her left eye. "I got some of the strawberry cream you like the other day. That can be your breakfast. I got muffin mix I can make for Jellal, too, if that sounds good."

Jellal gave a half smile when he saw his wife quietly nod against her friend's breasts. "That sounds great, Mira. Thanks."

"Anytime," Mirajane giggled, knowing that Erza was now looking up to her with the impatience for cake.

.

.

.

Natsu tumbled out of the bedroom, engulfed in the fluffy comforter, to find Lucy writing in a notebook on the couch. Still drunk of sleep and waking up to the uncomfortable chill without his usual snuggle-buddy with him, the racer walked into the doorframe twice in search for the blonde.

And here she was, still clad in pajamas and writing with a notebook he recognized from her backpack.

Tilting his head to the side, Natsu let out a childish whine before scurrying over to the couch and letting himself fall to the cushions, his face planting itself on Lucy's soft thigh. He ignored Lucy's startled squeak as he fixed himself to lay on his back, eyes tightly shut.

"Natsu!" Lucy whispered harshly, but her hand was gentle when it lightly pat his forehead. "What are you doing?"

"I woke up," he gurgled, sniffling, "and I was starting to feel gross, and you weren't there…"

"Honestly," Lucy sighed before tangling her fingers in his pinkish hair. Natsu really liked the feeling whenever Lucy did that to his head, making feel like he was in heaven by her gentle touch. She didn't sound too upset about his sudden entrance, so Natsu felt a little swell of pride in his chest at how Lucy is really sweet with him.

"Whadd'ya doin', Luce?" he breathed tiredly, cracking his eye open to look at the notebook in Lucy's other hand. It was worn down and kinda messed up from years of use, with little notes and doodles all over the back and front cover.

Lucy's brown eyes darted to look at his line of sight before smiling a little. Fixing Natsu's head on her lap to make her legs more comfortable and letting some of the blanket cover her feet; Natsu noticed her movement and held her legs in somewhat of a teddy bear-hold, resting his cheek against her leg.

"I'm just writing some stuff," Lucy shrugged after finishing. "I woke up early after our job and I just felt like writing. It's been a while since I've last done it."

"You like writin' stuff?"

"Mmhm. I was going for journalism while I was still in school," Lucy said softly, bringing the notebook down to rest on her other thigh to continue on writing with her pen. Natsu watched her face continue to concentrate on her writing, but a form of nostalgia in her smile. "I wrote ever since I was little with my mom. She kinda inspired me to take it into a career."

His head tilt against her skin, blinking. "How come you didn't finish, Luce?" he asked, but then regret his question when she stopped her writing hand and bit her lip. "You don't need to tell me, if you don't wanna. I was just -!"

"My dad forced me to quit school," Lucy explained with a little shrug. "I was in the second semester of my first year, and he said I couldn't go anymore. He already got my classes dropped and credits terminated, so I could stay home and take on the family business one day and I didn't want to."

"Why would he do that?" Natsu frowned darkly. Lucy looked to see him getting irritated, and it made her smile and brush her fingers through his hair again to silently tell him to calm down. "I mean, you were already an adult by then and you already decided what you wanted to do with your life - It's not fair for you that he did that."

"My dad...he changed a lot after my mom passed away when I was in high school," Lucy said quietly, her hand still gently touching his hair and cheek unconsciously. Looking to the scribbled words on her lined paper, the blonde woman's eyes went to a hooded stare, as if she was lost in her thoughts. "He used to be super awesome at being a dad, but I guess my mom's death did something to him to make him think that I would die, too. It was weird, but I hated being sheltered like that to the point I couldn't go anywhere."

"Sounds like those princesses trapped in towers, or somethin'," Natsu grumbled before crossing his arms underneath the blanket. Lucy giggled at his idea and agreed with his childish pout.

"It got to the point of him telling me what would be best in my favor and whatnot that made me leave with my backpack and sneakers," Lucy went on. "I got sick of having someone telling me what was right or wrong in their opinion; I wanted to go to school and go to parties, and even check out races and car shows, like my dad used to take me and my mom to when I was little…"

"I've always wanted to go to college, but I never knew what I wanted to do with my life," Natsu hummed suddenly, making Lucy look down to his gentle face. "I grew up in Fairy Tail with my dad, so all I knew was cars, races and working for the good guys. My dad would make sure I made it to school during the day - like kindergarten, junior and high school, you know? - and pick me up on time and bring me back to the garage to do homework. And, when I finished my homework correctly, he would take me to the races to watch him.

"I used to fall asleep in the crowds, even with the music practically killing my hearing," he snorted with a grin, making Lucy smile a little. "Macao would watch me until Dad finished, then he'd drive me home… That's how I would get sick, by the way; I would eat tons of junk food before passing out, and then I'd wake up screaming to tell my old man to pull over."

"Ew, Natsu!" Lucy giggled and pat his forehead again, making the racer snicker.

Grabbing the hand on his face, Natsu pulled Lucy's palm up to look at the creases and marks on her hand with great interest. "After high school, I wanted to think about my options for college, but nothing ever came up. All I could really think of what to do with my day is working in the garage and racing at night."

"I think it's okay to do that," Lucy offered, letting him fiddle with her fingers. "Not everyone needs to go to college, Natsu."

"Yeah, but I think it's great that you tried," Natsu shrugged, looking up to her. "And who knows? Maybe you can go back to college again? The station and big shots are pretty nice in helping with tuition and all that, since Mirajane is going for a medical degree and Levy is going for another language and biology."

Smiling bigger, Lucy held Natsu's hand. "Maybe someday," she nodded in agreement. "But, for right now, I'm pretty content with where I am now. I'm enjoying what I'm doing here in Fairy Tail and being your partner and doing races. It's kinda like what I missed when I was locked up at my old home."

"What, like parties?" Natsu blinked with confusion.

Shaking her head, Lucy laid back on the couch and closed her notebook on one hand. "No, having friends and making good memories...even if it means throwing a bomb out the window and trying to take down drug dealers in heels."

"So you're gonna finally throw bombs during races, Luce?" he perked hopefully.

"I'm still sleepy, Natsu. I promised Lisanna that I'd help make breakfast around nine, so lemme nap!"

"Aww, Luuuce! C'mon, I know you wanna try it. It can be a little one, if you want.""

Lucy grinned at the noise Natsu made of a whine. "Hey, Natsu," she peeped and waited until he grunted again. She didn't need to look to see him still pouting like a child. "If I ever do go back to college, wanna come with me? I'm sure we can sneak you into some of my classes so you can check it out. It's just long lectures and tons of quiet time."

Natsu made a noise that was like an interested 'ohh', but also like a whiney cat. Raising her head to look back down to see him actually thinking about it; a little sparkle in his hazel-colored eyes looking to the ceiling before looking to her. "If I can't be in the classroom, I can wait outside in my cool car and wait until class is over. Kinda like what my dad did with me, but my car is so much cooler and everyone is gonna be jealous that you got an awesome car, Luce!"

Lucy didn't hesitate to agree with him, but she wasn't expecting him to push himself up with his arms and meet her nose-to-nose, exciting her heartbeat and blush to rise from her cheeks. He grinned so wickedly before dropping his weight against her, making Lucy squeak and tumble down on the cushion, their faces smushed together by the cheeks while the blonde laid against the couch. Natsu brought the big, white, fluffy blanket around his shoulders and wrapped himself and Lucy like a burrito on the couch.

"N-Natsu! What are you -?" Lucy stuttered in a whine.

"I'm gonna be blasting music and roll the windows down when classes get let out," Natsu laughed loudly, snuggling his roommate. "I'll sneak into your classes like a ninja. Nin-nin!"

"Stop it, Natsu!" Lucy tried not to laugh when Natsu snickered against her.

"Nin-nin, Lucy! You gotta say _nin-nin!"_

Gray woke up to his cellphone going off on his nightstand. Cracking his tired eyes open underneath his dark blanket, Gray stared darkly to his cellphone vibrating against the wooden surface next to the lamp; reaching over to just check the Caller ID, Gray shut off his phone and rolled to his back.

A distant noise of a 'thump!' and an easily recognizable cry of Natsu could be heard over the layers of walls and floors between his apartment and his friends'. Gray quickly assumed that both Natsu and Lucy were awake by now, yet it could just be his new blonde friend wacking his childhood buddy again. He was glad that Natsu found another snuggle buddy and actually left him alone to get a good night's sleep for once.

He knew Laxus was more than grateful to have his bed back with his fiancee again, too.

Sitting up in his bed, Gray boredly let his chilly bedroom hit his exposed chest and back like a morning shower. Still tired from sleep, Gray blinked slowly while looking around his boring bedroom with both clean and dirty clothes all over his floor, hanging from a lamp post and the plushed chair in the corner.

Gray Fullbuster was a relatively clean and organized man living alone in his apartment. Since he moved in at the age of fifteen as an official racer for Fairy Tail, Gray always made sure that he kept his things in order in the livingroom and kitchen of his quarters. His bedroom, however, was more like a hell for any clothes he owned to his name. It was always a habit of Gray to wear lack of clothes (saved for his favorite white leather jacket he got for Christmas that would sometimes run away from him), so it was a normal sight Gray to wake up to a collaboration of clothes in his bedroom.

Pulling himself out of bed and ignoring his phone going off _again _on the nightstand and looked for a pair of jeans to yank on. Once obtaining that miracle of the day, the young man made his way out of the bedroom in time to hear his door being knocked on delicately. Groaning, Gray slouched his way over and opened the door a crack to see the petite mechanic dressed in skirt and a frilly tank, her makeup light and lips glossy.

One of those rare moments when Levy McGarden wasn't covered in oil or smelled like gasoline.

"Wha'ya want, Levy?" Gray sighed, bonking his head on the doorframe tiredly. He didn't even check the time yet, but Gray knew that his body would not fully awaken for another few hours. Gray was never the morning person, unlike his mother who would yank him out of bed during school with a sunshine smile on her face.

"Mornin', Gray!" Levy chirped loudly, making his ears ring a little bit and hit his head on the doorframe again. "Wow, you seem like you're hungover. Did you drink last night?"

"No," Gray frowned. "What do you want, nerd?"

The small woman smiled. "Makarov approved me and Lulu-chan going to the Phantom Lord for today to see Juju-chan with Erza," she explained sweetly. "It's just us girls, but I wanted to ask if you wanted to come and see Juju-chan too!"

Gray pinched the creases of his eyes before blinking them open by force. Swallowing thickly, Gray tried to his best to hide his pink cheeks with his large hand. "No. Can't today," he muttered. "Gonna help Jellal with his engine and work out today with Elfman…"

"What, did you get in trouble at the bar again with Gajeel-kun?" Levy smiled a bit brighter, but more teasing. "He's not gonna hit ya when Juju-chan is working, or if I'm around. I'll be your bodyguard today!"

"No," Gray said again, but he refused to meet Levy's brown eyes.

Levy pouted then, standing her ground in her cute sandals that she got as a birthday present last year and hands on her hips. "That's not like you. You normally jump at the invitation," she said in a huff. Noticing his tired eyes, she narrowed hers and raised her brows. "Did something happen, Gray? You look like you had a hard night, like you had a bad dream."

"Not bad dreams, nerd," Gray yawned. "Can you just go so I can go back to bed?"

"You're worried, too, aren't you?"

Silence took over between the two friends, Gray looking more offended while Levy looked calm and sincere to him. The small woman's eyes softened as a tiny smile started on her lips, her shoulders relaxing from her previous up-and-chipper behavior she previously had when she knocked on his door. Gray looked away from her to a much more interesting spot on the wall behind her (which he recalls being made when he and Natsu went at it in the hallway one night), and did his best to ignore Levy's sigh.

"It's okay to be worried about Juvia, Gray. No one is going to get upset that you have feelings for her and you want to make sure she's okay," she said quietly, trying not to allure any one else to open their apartment doors and ask for quietness. When the dark haired man was about to snap back at her, she raised her hand and gave him a hard stare. "No, don't try to pull that crap on me, Fullbuster. I know you like my cousin - hell, you probably feel something _more_ than like at this point, now that I think about it - and you can't tell me otherwise. I'm not saying that to tease you at all, because I see nothing wrong with that."

"You make it sound like it's simple and easy," Gray sniffed bitterly, crossing his arms and leaning against the wooden door.

Levy shook her head. "No, it's not easy," she said, looking down to her shoes. "I understand you though, Gray: what it's like to really, really care for someone romantically, but you can't do much about it because of gangs and stuff. Especially when you're in Fairy Tail, right?"

"You and Gajeel get along just fine with each other," Gray rolled his eyes. "Now that I think of it, besides Juvia, he probably listens to you better than anyone else."

Levy peeped and clapped her hands to her cheeks to hide her blush, her eyes full of fury as she pouted at Gray, who didn't bother to hide his own smirk. "You little shit!"

Gray shrugged it off before going serious. "Makarov has told me to keep my visits to a minimum to the bar, especially when I go to check on your cousin," he explained, thinking back to the old man reminding him the other night when Gray was thinking about heading to his bike and taking off to get a drink. "Jose and that Sol guy know me well enough to keep a sharp eye on me, 'specially with all this shit goin' around with Acnologia and whatever. You, however, and Erza and pretty much anyone else isn't looked at as a threat when they walk into the place."

"You do spend a lot of time there," Levy said pointedly, making Gray flinch. "Even when Gajeel isn't kicking your ass left and right, I remember how you spent nearly every day in the summer trying to keep an eye of Juju-chan."

"Your point?"

"I feel bad that you can't see Juju-chan as often anymore, with what's going on," Levy huffed somewhat sadly, but smiling up to him again. "How's Natsu taking all of it? He doesn't seem as jittery as he usually is."

"I haven't really spoken to him about it," Gray confessed. "I think Gramps told him what is what and made him leave it as that, but I'm not too sure. He seems to be okay around Lucy though, so I assume he's taking it seriously for once."

"I see," she hummed. "That's good though. Him and Lulu-chan are pretty cute together."

Gray raised a brow. "Seriously?"

"You don't see it?" Levy grinned naughtily, clapping her hands together. "Haven't you noticed how Natsu isn't as loud and rowdy as he used to be? Whenever Lulu-chan says something, Natsu actually pays attention; he's always next to her and making sure she's alright, Lisanna and I are trying to figure out how long it will take until Natsu comes running to us about how to properly ask a girl out!"

"Ya shouldn't be doing stuff like that, Levy. This isn't high school, you know. You're acting like a gossiping sixteen year-old looking at the prom king and queen."

"Well, Natsu is certainly doing a lot more progress than you are with Juju-chan, so I'm setting my bets for Natsu. You've been at it with chances since we were teenagers, so you're getting pretty dry with the polls," Levy sighed and shrugged. Turning her heels, the blue-haired mechanic made her way down the hall. "Sorry for bothering you so early, Gray! I'll tell Juju-chan that you were too busy, but can get a to-go bag or something."

"Wait..._wait! _What did you just say?" Gray practically screeched in shock as he leaned out of the apartment and stared daggers at the retreating woman, who was skipping joyously to the elevator. "Levy! _Get your tiny ass back here and tell me -!"_

"Gray, shut your mouth, for God's sake!" Gray's neighbor, Elfman Strauss, the middle child of the Strauss siblings in Fairy Tail, groaned in annoyance beyond the wall. "It'd be the most manly thing to remain quiet while it's still early for some of us!" For all Gray knew, Elfman went out with his partner and not-so-secret-girlfriend, Evergreen, last night for a long job given by Makarov. Evergreen drives while Elfman served as a mechanic and muscle.

Gray purposely smacked his forehead to the door before letting out a lame apology, ignoring Levy's faint laugh as she disappeared and he remained alone in the hallway. Gray mentally cursed before closing his door and deciding to return to bed for another few good hours, at least before Jellal came searching for him for their plans on working on his engine.

Then, Gray remembered that his cell phone was still in his room. '_I'm...just going to hide it between the couch cushions.'_

=xxx=

"You mean you know how to _make_ lava cake with ice cream?" Lucy practically cried in pure bliss at the sight of the little plate Juvia placed in front of the blonde. It was a small square with chocolate drizzle, still steaming from being taken out of the oven, with a scoop of ice cream and sprinkles on top. Lucy's brown eyes watered with joy as she looked up to the waitress in her uniform with flushed cheeks and tears slipping. "Juvia-chan, you're a godsend! You know how to make _lava cake_!"

The racer blinked before serving the other plate to her cousin and then the margarita glass to Erza, who was mature and mute about it while Levy snickered joyously beside her friend. Juvia's cheeks went a little pink in embarrassment before offering a tiny smile to the three female costumers.

"Juvia had lots of spare time years back, and she found Toto-sensei's recipe books," she shrugged gently. "Juvia had a lot of practice."

"The taste is so much better than it actually looks, Lulu-chan!" Levy pointed out as she took a fork from her cousin's offered hand, licking her lips before taking a piece of it with the cold cream with it. "It's like a five-star dessert you can't get anywhere else! Try it, Lulu-chan!"

Lucy obeyed and carefully took a piece of the lava cake and ice cream, tasting it slowly before her blush deepening and her eyes widening with sparkles and hearts. A small squeal could be heard from her closed mouth, and Juvia, Levy and Erza chuckled at the sight while Lucy practically fangirled over the small treat given to her.

"Juvia sees that Lucy-chan seems to like the lava cake," the blue haired racer smiled with joy as she hugged the tray to her busty chest. "If Lucy-chan is okay with telling Juvia, she will make a special lava cake for her birthday. Levy-chan's birthday treat is an apple strudle and Erza's is Juvia's popular strawberry cheesecake with chocolate drizzle."

"Juvia, please don't tempt me today," the redhead pouted adorably. "Mira already gave me a big chunk for breakfast today and I don't want my butt expanding."

"Erza is too beautiful and perfect for any imperfections," Juvia responded with a grin, making Erza instantly blush and look away to sip her drink.

"Juvia-sama!" Sue's familiar voice came from the propped curtain of the kitchen. The younger girl came in with a large, worn-out textbook and a irritated look on her face, ignoring Totomaru's glance towards her while he was washing dishes inside the kitchen. "Juvia-sama, I need help with this stupid chapter on the ecosystem in the ocean and Gajeel-sama doesn't know shit!"

"I heard that!" Gajeel shouted and a small '_clang!' _of a wrench falling to the pavement could he heard, but Sue chose to sniff and hobble over to the bench, slamming the textbook on the top.

Juvia sighed but held a finger to Sue to give her a moment, which the dark-skinned girl nodded and propped her elbows on the counter. Turning back to the three women, Juvia set her dark eyes to Levy, who was looking to the entrance of the kitchen that also led to the back of the bar, where Gajeel was. Poking Levy's temple with her pinky, Juvia startled her cousin with bright red cheeks.

"Nii-chan could use some good company while he works on his car," she winked to her small-sized cousin. "He would prefer Juvia's help, but Toto-sensei asked her to remain up front today while Sue and Boze study."

Levy blinked, but nonetheless got up and made her way over to the counter. Offering a small greeting to the teen who waved patiently. Levy gave a small hello to Totomaru, who smiled knowingly and let her pass through the hot and somewhat small kitchen (Mirajane's kitchen was probably three times larger, and there was no such thing as a cramped space in hers like it is inside Phantom Lord's one, but Levy would never say that outloud). She soon found herself outside the back, where tarps hung overhead and tools scattered everywhere; the Dodge Challenger Hellcat was uncovered from the sheets, unlike Juvia, Boze and Totomaru's car were in the corner of the wooden and metal lock-in area, and two legs stuck out from underneath on the opposite side from her.

Walking over to the opened hood of the car, Levy peeked inside to take a look. "I see that you got a new power-up tank. Did you buy it off from a garage, or from the black market?"

"Where'd you think?" Gajeel grumbled, but Levy knew that he didn't mean to sound rude. Small squeaking of the board he was laying on stinged her ear, and she was startled to see Gajeel's rusty eyes and messy black hair in her sight. "Decided to lose the uniform today?"

"No," Levy blushed, looking back to inside the car.

The man snickered, and Levy knew that it meant trouble. "I see you're wearing the black lace underwear, huh?" he did his signature laugh before Levy's sandaled foot shoved against his cheek, making him grunt suddenly. "Not like I'm complaining!"

"You look tired," she said suddenly, noticing the dark shadows under his bored-looking eyes. He also seemed a bit paler than usual and dry on the lips. "Both you and Juju-chan look really tired. Have you two been staying up all night?"

"Workin'," was all he said and Levy knew that she had no other choice but to accept that excuse.

Crouching down to his lying form on the wood, Levy fixed her skirt to conceal her undergarments as she rest her elbows on her knees. Tilting her head to him, she offered him a small smile. "I'm sorry if I was bothering you two today. I was just happy that Jose let Makarov allow us to come here today, and all."

"Squirt was pretty excited about you guys comin' too," Gajeel shrugged, refusing to look her in the eyes and it made her smile sweetly. "She was practically jabbering like a bird when she was making the cake, or whatever."

"Yeah, I miss Juju-chan so much," Levy hummed. She noticed that Gajeel was now looking her way, as if expecting more and she didn't bother to hide her bright smile as she reached and tapped his beige bandana. "And I missed you too, Gajeel-kun. Don't think I'd forget about you...although, I missed Juju-chan more since she's my cousin."

"Oi," Gajeel said flatly, grasping the edge of his car with tight fingers.

"I'm kidding, Gajeel-kun," Levy cooed before dropping to her knees on the dirty ground. She didn't mind it though, since she was too busy bending her head down, letting the long strands of her bangs drape down to Gajeel's studded face with oil smudges. She really didn't mind that he had that triumphant snicker before closing their eyes so their lips could touch gently.

Although their relationship was secret to most people, Levy and Gajeel knew that they were safe within the walls of the bar. While Jose and his main guy, Sol, don't hang around as often as their employees, there were no limits to what can really happen between a Phantom Lord and a Fairy Tail member. No such thing as security cameras were in the bar, so all it really took was the presence of anyone who was out of the know (which included a good portion of Fairy Tail itself).

Levy and Gajeel didn't date like normal couples, nor did they usually show affection publicly at the races whenever Levy had the chance to go, but the mechanic couldn't bring herself to really care for the normal lovey-dovey stuff. She knew that Gajeel was pretty touch in his image and position in the race and gang world, but she also knew his heart was much bigger than his ego…

"So, those laced panties ya got there," she heard him whisper once she pulled back.

Levy flicked her finger on his lip, stinging the part of body she really, really loved to kiss. The freaky man stiffened and tried to ignore the pain on his mouth as he glared at her. "Never ask a lady about her undergarments, Gajeel-kun. You should know better than that, especially when you live with Juju-chan."

"She's my sister ever since she was a few months old," he retorted, pulling himself out fully from under the car and sitting up on his board. "I've changed her diapers, seen her underwear change throughout the years and her lingerie wishlist. I got enough of _her_ underwear. I wanna see yours now."

"Gajeel-kun!"

The man snickered and patted the top of Levy's head. "I'm just teasin'. I like that pair, though, so wear it again sometime soon, okay?"

Before she could tell him to screw off and hit him again, a clattering noise startled her. Both Levy and Gajeel looked off back into the bar with raised brows, wondering what the noise was.

"Juvia?" Erza's voice was raised with alarm.

"Juvia-sama!" Sue's voice squealed in distress and Levy saw Totomaru drop the bowl he was washing and dash through the curtain hurriedly.

Levy was amazed at how fast Gajeel got to his feet and already making his way through the kitchen before she came to follow, meeting Sue behind the bar as both women looked over the counter to see Juvia laying on the carpet, shivering and limbs twitching rapidly as she made a wheezing noise on her side. There was a tray by her with fallen glasses and silverware. The expression on her face was blank, her eyes dim and staring off to nowhere in particular; her fingers twitching to grasp into a tight fist and letting go quickly, her chest heaving for breath and looking to be struggling to swallow.

"Oh god, Juju!" Levy gasped as she tried to look for the quickest way around to be at her cousin's aid. Gajeel himself jumped over while Totomaru went around and kneeled to the waitress's side, gently resting a hand on her quivering shoulder. Lucy and Erza were on their feet at the booth they were at with their treats.

"What happened?" Totomaru asked calmly to the two, startling Lucy who was trying not to cry at the sight.

"Juvia was carrying the tray before she fell to her knees," Erza spoke coolly, wrapping an arm around the blonde who was shaking. "She seemed fine only a moment ago. She did look a bit pale."

Levy watched as Gajeel stepped over her cousin's body to her back and slid his muscular arms underneath her head to put it in a better position as Juvia struggled to swallow or speak; her eyes were open, but murky-looking and lost with a droopy lids. Her fingers curled and uncurled constantly as she tried to speak, but slurring and heaving her breaths.

"It's alright, kid," Gajeel said quietly, but Levy could hear him over the messy conversations of Totomaru and Erza, along with Lucy's cracked sobs and Sue whining behind her fingers in worry. She could see how Juvia was trying to respond, but was currently unable. Slowly, her shoulders seem to lax and go completely limp, letting Gajeel reach under her twitching legs. "I'm just gonna pull you up, okay? Let me know if you feel like you need me to put you back down."

Juvia's limp hand looked to push against the carpet, letting Gajeel know that it was okay for him to pick her up. Levy tried to keep her emotions hidden at the sight of her cousin, who was usually so strong and capable of taking anything head on, become defenseless and weak in a manner of a second.

Gajeel looked up to see Levy staring at the two. "It's alright, kid. You're going to be alright."

Levy couldn't tell if he was talking to both of them.

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=xxx=

AUTHOR'S ENDING NOTE - Two extra pagesss. That's not that bad at I originally thought, but I'm not complaining this time!

Please Review, Follow, Favorite or whichever makes you happy, but Reviews always make me feel good. Stay happy and I'll see you guys soon.


	9. Chapter 9

Some people on tumblr are recommending Ride 'em Hard and Sleeping Beauty and I'm just -! -ugly sobbing- Thanks a bunch, you guys. I really wasn't expecting to get recommended like that on tumblr (or in general, for that matter) but it really, really makes happy seeing people Review and talk about it on tumblr…

Even though it makes my face go red like a strawberry, but yeah.

Anyway, thank you very much for being patient for me; I really appreciate it. Please feel free to Review, Follow, Favorite or do nothing. As long as your happy with yourself, I don't mind. Love you guys lots, so please enjoy!

=xxx=

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R_i_**d**e '_**e**_m _H_**a**r_**d**_

Chapter Nine

"She's fine. I'm going to have her stay in bed for the rest of today and lie low for a while to recover."

"Has she been taking the iron pills Gray gave her?" Levy asked quietly beside Lucy in the booth. Erza sat in her usual corner. Gajeel was standing at the table with his arms crossed, looking at the blue haired mechanic with stoic, but gentle eyes as he came back from carrying Juvia up the wooden stairs while Totomaru picked up the fallen glasses and forks from the situation about a half hour earlier.

Gajeel shrugged and rubbed his temple. "I think so, but I don't keep tabs on them as often as I used to. She's been bitching at me to stay out of her business with the meds, somethin' 'bout how I don't need to worry or whatever," he sighed lowly. "Stripper had given her a big supply though, so I figured she'd be good for another few months, at least. She only takes one or two a day as far as I know."

"She's going to be okay, right?" Lucy asked, suddenly regretting it but Gajeel didn't bother to make her feel any more uncomfortable. He was way passed the point of pretending that Juvia's new friend didn't exist.

"Yeah, she's coming back to earth now. Sue and I got her into bed, so she is going to rest."

"Can I see her, Gajeel-kun?" Levy looked up to him, seeing how his jaw clenched and his shoulders became a bit more tight.

Totomaru watched behind him as Gajeel shook his head and exhale sharply. "It's best to just let her sleep for now. Sol is coming by pretty soon, so I think it should be a good time to leave before he gets here."

"Gajeel-kun -!" Levy stood up from her spot on the booth to protest, but Erza's voice cut in to stop the young mechanic.

"We'll head out now. We don't want Sol getting upset seeing us in the bar before a race, right?" Erza said softly, offering a small smile to Gajeel before getting up and gestured the other two to follow. Lucy shyly obeyed and bowed her head in apology before going to the door to wait with the redhead.

Levy was slow and hesitant to get out of her seat, but she slowly slipped off the leather cushion and stood on her two feet and looking down in slight irritation. Her hands gripping her skirt tightly, Levy didn't really bother to say any bidding goodbyes to the other gang members, feeling herself more focused on the other female member of Phantom Lord who was convulsing in her brother's arms when he carried her up the stairs a while prior.

A large, hard yet warm hand rest atop of her head, making her blink back her tears and look up to see her boyfriend giving her a knowing look. Bending down to her small height, he locked eyes with her and offered a half-snarky grin.

"She's going to be okay, shrimp. It's not like the bad ones, remember?" he said quietly, not letting the others present in the room to hear. "I'll have Boze or Totomaru send the message tonight or tomorrow at the tracks. Erza'll be there, right?"

Levy nodded. "You will stay with her for me, please?"

"Squirt won't let me go anywhere without her," he snorted, making Levy give him a wet smile. Seeing her cheer up a bit, the Phantom Lord racer smirked before pressing a quick kiss to her hairline (Gajeel knows that Totomaru would never say anything about him being affectionate, unlike Juvia). "I ain't going nowhere without her, 'kay? Just get on outta here and do whatever you normally do...readin' or something."

Levy quietly exhaled and nodded. "Okay, but I'm gonna be expecting something, or so help me I will get Gray to drive me down here and I'll make a scene." She sent him a sharp glare and pokes his chin piercing, making him grunt with a twitch in his brow.

"Keep that strippin' son of a bitch outta my business," Gajeel hissed darkly before straightening his back and crossing his arms with a angry pout. This made Levy's heart lighten and realized that things were going to be better with Gajeel here for her dearest cousin, and she couldn't stop herself from wrapping her thin arms around her boyfriend and hug him before scurrying to the door, which was propped open by Erza for her to arrive.

Erza let Levy leave before taking one last look to Gajeel and Totomaru, who gave her a simple nod before letting go of the door to close with a loud bang. The S-Class racer looked to the bartender for a second before heading up towards the stairs.

"Call me if something happens, Totomaru," Gajeel said sternly, already going up the steps.

"Sol would be here around noon," Totomaru reminded him, standing with the collected contents on the tray. "I'll do my best to keep him out from upstairs, but I'll have you come down when he arrives so Juvia-sama can rest."

Gajeel went up the creaky steps and to the next floor, where the slim, dark hallway held only four doors. The one at the end was locked tight, due to being Jose's personal office whenever he came to the bar for meetings or personal work; the rest where old closets and storage spaces transformed into makeshift bedrooms, Boze and Sue had the biggest room remaining with the contents of books and kitchen tools while Totomaru got the old broom closet (the ex-college instructor insisted he didn't need space).

Gajeel and Juvia's room was next to Jose's office and right above the freezer underneath the floor of the kitchen, which was why the bedroom was normally cold to him. It was once an old storage space and now struggled to contain a bed and dresser, as well having him sleeping on the floor. It was probably not the best or healthiest place to sleep at night, but Gajeel knew that his sister would never complain about having a roof over her head.

Opening his apartment door, Gajeel stuck his head in to see Sue sitting on the edge of Juvia's small bed, while the pale, pale woman laid underneath all the blankets possible in the room. Once the teen saw her superior present, Sue got up from the bed and exited the bedroom, having the door nearly shut tight behind her back.

"Juvia-sama is responding now," she said quietly. "I removed her uniform incase there is a relapse and gave her all the blankets… she said she was really cold, but she felt hot when I checked her heart rate."

Gajeel nodded. "That's normal for the aftermath. Nothing will happen again, except she'll be very tired and probably slow," he explained while tilting his head. "What exactly happened, Sue?"

"After she helped me with my studying, she stood up and turned really fast with her tray. Toto-sensei asked to bring it back for him to wash, you know? I noticed she looked really pale while she was explaining the chapter to me and sounded like she was slurring." Sue bit her lip before fixing the beanie on her head, and Gajeel remembered how that was somewhat of a security blanket for her. "I should've paid more attention. I'm sorry, Gajeel-sama, it's all my fault because I made her help me."

"It ain't your fault, Sue. Don't go blaming yourself for nothing," Gajeel snorted before lightly touching his knuckle to her chin, making the teenager sigh sadly. Jerking his chin, Gajeel offered her a grin. "Why don'tcha help yourself to the candy stash I got under the counter? Sugar helps you study faster and take in information. I'll handle things in here."

Sue blinked up to him. "You mean the shoebox filled with those candy bars and sugar sticks? But you said you'd shove a screwdriver down anyone's throat if they -!"

"Totomaru's studies were a pain in the ass when I did it, and chocolate always made it better to handle," Gajeel shrugged. "You deserve it tonight, but don't go thinkin' ya can get your greedy hands on it all the time, got it?"

Sue smiled her usual tough-looking grin, and he knew she felt better with the luring of food. "Whatever you say, Gajeel-sama. Can Boze get one when he comes home, too?"

"If he can get his goddamn homework done, then we'll talk."

Sue didn't say anything else as she dashed down the hallway, leaving Gajeel to roll his eyes and turn to his door. Not bothering to knock on his own apartment door, the muscular man carefully opened the door and let himself inside the room, noticing the small lamp on on top of the dresser, where Juvia's uniform was folded neatly on the other edge of it. Coming over to kneel beside the bed, Gajeel was careful to move only a small fraction of the blankets to reveal his little sister's face resting on the pillow.

Her eyes were much more brighter, reflecting the small given light inside the room and sought it as a good sign. She was still sickly pale and dark underneath her blue eyes, her bangs sticking to her forehead and cheeks like she was doused in a bucket of icy water and left to shiver. Juvia was laying on her side with her hands under her chin, curling and uncurling and pricking the tips of her fingers with her thumb, as if trying to find feeling in her nerves.

"Hoggin' all my blankets, aren't you, squirt?" Gajeel snickered softly, seeing how Juvia slowly blinked up to look at him with a tired stare. "Can you understand me?"

"Did Juvia have an accident in front of Levy-chan and her friends..?" her voice came out like a ragged cough, almost ghost-like. Gajeel could tell that she was exhausted after coming out of her seizure and he didn't want to make her head sore from trying to think too much or work her muscles after they were stiff tightly for a good few minutes.

Carefully letting his hand hover over her head, he tried to brush her bangs away from her clammy face. "You just fell to the floor. Nothing more happened."

"Promise?" she peeped and curled a bit more into a ball, her lips pressed against her hands.

"Yeah, I promise ya," Gajeel nodded.

"No hospital?"

"You know me, squirt. Remember what we talked about?" he reminded her carefully, and she nodded. "Good kid. No hospital needed."

Juvia's exhale was long and airy, looking away from him to try and recollect herself mentally and physically. Gajeel could see that and all he had to do was come up with his own plan to make everything right for himself and his stepsister, as he always did ever since he was told he was now going to be a big brother to such a little baby years ago.

"We're gonna take a couple days off from working and have a little vacation. How does that sound? I say we sleep in until lunch and I'll take you to that bookstore you like."

"Juvia feels really tired…" Juvia's eyes watered and raised her head a little to press against his palm, and he frowned at how she was getting worked up. "Levy-chan isn't mad, is she? Juvia can't… Juvia remembers Levy-chan…going to see Nii-chan."

"She was worried, but she knows that you're going to be okay," he told her confidently, his fingers carefully rubbing her scalp and made her whine a little. She closed her eyes and snuggled her cheek against her pillow.

"Mmn…" Juvia breathed, her eyes remaining closed. "We are going to get in trouble."

"Just two days, so you can rest and relax," he tried, but her face scrunched, prying one eye open to stare at him. Sighing, Gajeel dropped his head to the mattress and raised it again to rest on his propped arm. "What are you plannin'?"

"Just tonight, please."

"And tomorrow," Gajeel pressed, but Juvia closed her eyes and shook her head slowly. He growled at that and ruffled her hair but he knew she didn't care about it. "Don't do this to yourself, kid. It's bad for you to do that, you know?"

"Jose will be mad if you don't work, and Juvia doesn't want that," she whispered sadly. Gajeel watched her open her eyes to him and tuck a blanket under her chin. "And we were doing very well, too, working for Hades."

"It's just tonight and tomorrow. Let me take care of Jose and Sol," he told her carefully. "Tonight and tomorrow, you're going to be good as new and ready to kick ass as usual, you little squirt. Totomaru's gonna test your eye vitals tomorrow and we'll work on your hands and legs slowly - you and Sue can do that yoga thing she always talks about."

"Okay," she whispered and Gajeel made sure to tuck the blanket to conceal as much of her skin while leaving her face open for air before standing up. He turned off the lamp and quietly left the room, closing the door to put his sister in the darkness to go to sleep that she desperately needed for her body from the last few days.

Taking a deep breath, Gajeel made his way over to the stairs and mentally prepared himself to deal with what was to come. Hearing the voice of Totomaru and another voice from the lobby of the bar, Gajeel looked down to see the green-dyed hair and the scrawny face of Sol in his stupid red tux sitting on the stool at the counter.

Totomaru placed a wine glass infront of Jose's assistance when he noticed the S-Class racer coming down. "Gajeel-sama, I was just going to call for you," the bartender said slowly, and Gajeel could tell that Sol was trying to stall him from getting his attention - which was very common for the Frenchman to do when Jose has something for them to do.

"'Sup," Gajeel sniffed when Sol grinned dorkly at him. Crossing his arms, the racer came closer to the bar to tower over Sol, which made him respond with a tiny flinch and Totomaru to smile uneasily.

Sol cleared his throat before reaching into his suit pocket, pulling out a folded piece of paper. "Monsieur Jose wants you and Juvia to go out and take down another target," he said calmly, holding out the piece of paper for Gajeel to take. "He is at the clubs on the other side of the city, but he is looking to get out after he get money from -"

"We ain't going out tonight," he cut him off, jerking his chin at the piece of folded paper. "And don't bother callin' tomorrow either, 'cause we ain't gonna pick up."

"Non?" Sol raised a brow. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Jose's best friend forever and his boss is working us overtime, and we're still expected to take on races? It's bullshit," Gajeel snorted and rolled his eyes. Sol frowned at this and rest his elbow with the photo in his hand on the counter. "We're tired as hell. Keepin' it up like this is gonna get us sick, ya idiot."

"Hades requests that the S-Class of Phantom Lord handle all the jobs given out," Sol reminded him simply. "It is not my fault that Monsieur Jose tell you to take care of the races either; you two are the only ones who win anything and Boze and Sue are still just too young to handle anything this serious. They are simply too immature."

"Tell Jose he can suck it," the racer growled out and Sol paled at the use of language. "If he is that desperate to please his old buddy of his and get all that cash in the same god damn day, tell him to go sell one of his ugly-ass suits online."

Sol glanced at Totomaru, who remained quiet the whole time since the conversation started between them. "I shall guess that Juvia is unable to satisfy Jose's assignments _again_?"

"Watch what comes out of your mouth, Sol!"

"Well? Is it true, or no?" the green haired man tilt his head. "If Jose questions what is keeping you two from going out tonight, it would be better to tell him myself instead of have him come here and cause a scene…"

"I ain't giving him shit if he comes here in his lingerie or Superman-jammies," Gajeel told him. "Gun or not, we all know who's capable of winning a fight."

"Yes, but remember that Jose has _friends_, Gajeel-sama," Totomaru whispered between them, making the pierced man roll his eyes again.

The man who serves to help and assist Jose for years grinned again, knowing that the situation was back in his favor once again. "It's so true that he has friends. If they ever hear that Jose was taken out by someone with a record like Gajeel, I can imagine the many zeros on the wanted poster with your face on it!"

"Yeah, but you don't have much of a social group," Gajeel reminded him and leaned forward. Sol reacted by leaning back with a frightened look on his face. "So, keep playing Jose's little bitch and I might lose my patience."

"Gajeel-sama," Totomaru whispered, catching his attention as his considered-teacher's eyes glanced up to the ceiling for a second and back down to give him a knowing look. Rusty eyes narrowed in irritation but straightened up to give Sol space.

Looking down to the poor excuse in his sight, Gajeel dropped his voice to a more deeper, threatening tone that would send chills up anyone's spine. "You tell Jose that we're skipping whatever Hades or his boss sends unless it's at a reasonable time and we get _paid _separate from him, got it, Frenchy? My sister and I ain't fuckin' cattle to you, and I ain't also afraid to remind anyone who tries to come in here and tell me otherwise."

"You know I am just giving you what Jose orders," Sol simply said, getting up from his seat and straightening his coat while slipping the folded paper back into his coat. "I will relay the message that Juvia is unable to go through with her job, and her brother is staying by her side. Will that ease your temper, Gajeel?"

Nothing more was said in the bar as Sol made his way through the tables and chairs towards the big, metal door. Bidding a silent goodbye to the bartender and racer, the slim man dipped his head before yanking the heavy door open to slip out. Both Totomaru and Gajeel waited a moment before looking away from the entrance and release heavy sighs.

Totomaru pinched the bridge of his nose and shut his eyes. "I'm not too sure what I can do for you now, Gajeel. If Jose is to call at all, I'll try to -"

"Don't bother with it."

Looking up to the hardcore man, Totomaru raised a brow of confusion when Gajeel met his gaze with a hard stare of all business and no games. Gajeel leaned back on the counter with ease, and it made the bartender relax when there was no sign of the racer's usual act of violence and wanting to break something.

"If Jose has a problem with anything, it goes to me," Gajeel said sternly.

"Whatever happened to the little kid who wanted nothing but work on my car with his little sister clinging to his leg?" Totomaru smirked somewhat sadly, placing his hands on his hips while the younger man snorted. "I remember when you would just walk right into my room while I was sleeping, dig in my pants for keys and take off with them and spend hours in the garage with Juvia-sama helping out. How old were you around that time? Ten, more or less?"

"We ain't little kids anymore, Totomaru," Gajeel rolled his eyes.

"I know, but it still amazes me seeing you two grow up so quickly like that and taking care of everyone here like some boss," Totomaru teased lightly and took Sol's drink from the counter to dump it out. Taking out a fresh glass, Totomaru filled the glass with a simple tap beer and handed it to Gajeel, who took the glass and began chugging it.

"It's a habit."

"Yeah, but that habit can come back and bite you in the ass," the bartender told him when he finished the drink softly. "I see you take as much crap from Jose and handle him just fine, but this employer we have now may not be as weak as he is. You haven't even seen Hades' boss yet, have you?"

Gajeel looked to him and took a seat. Leaning further on the counter, Gajeel kept his voice low when he realized that Sue was in the garage, speaking outloud about her notes for memorization. "It's just between you and me, Totomaru," he said quietly, "but I have a bad feeling on who this boss of Hades is, and I don't like it."

Totomaru blinked in response. "What are you talking about, Gajeel?" he asked in a whisper.

Tugging on his beige bandana, Gajeel breathed. "I feel like Acnologia is back, and Jose is working for him. That man we had to take out the other day? It was Zancrow."

"Zancrow?" Totomaru hissed in shock, looking behind him to make sure that Sue was still distracted before looking back with wide eyes. "You took out _Zancrow_? Gajeel, what in the hell did you -?"

"He had it comin', and I would gladly kill that son of a bitch over and over before I would let him get out of this city for what he's done."

"Zancrow was one of Acnologia's hardest men to even get a good look at, Gajeel. Even your _father_ had a hard time getting to him, do you understand? Your father couldn't get to him," Totomaru gripped Gajeel's shoulders, yet the man didn't budge.

"That's what is bothering me," Gajeel looked down to his glass. "When Juvia got him to crash near the docks, he didn't do anything to retaliate. It was like he was freaked out like a deer in the headlights."

Totomaru rubbed his own chin, contemplating what was being told to him as Gajeel went on. "He begged for mercy when I got out and took his head, man. I had a fuckin' ball bashing his head on the ground before Juvia tried to stop me, but I was pissed to pay attention to the squirt."

Shaking his head, Gajeel gripped his glass to the point it could have shattered, but he heaved a hard breath to calm down his stiff muscles. "You shoulda seen how freaked she was when I pulled out that fuckin' gas tank on him, man. I set him on fire and I didn't listen to Juvia…"

"You know it's not the first time she has seen something like that," the black and white haired man told him. "You know she's seen worse things."

"But she's never seen me do something like that."

Totomaru let a patch of silence stretch out, letting the uncomfortable moment make things so awkward for them. "She doesn't know about Zancrow, does she?" he finally asked Gajeel. "Does she even know about what he tried to do when your dad was around?"

"She was too young to remember any of that. My old man made sure she wasn't around him long enough as a toddler," Gajeel shrugged. "I know she remembers seeing Dad after him and Zancrow would go at it with each other, but I doubt she's ever heard of him."

"And you're assuming that Acnologia is the employer and we're working for him," Totomaru added. "But why would Jose be working for Acnologia and take out one of his own men?"

"I don't know, but I don't want Juvia to be part of anything Hades is shoving up Jose's ass. She already had a seizure, it's only a matter of time until something worse can happen," Gajeel frowned before tapping his glass to the other. "Gimme a refill. It's gonna be a long day."

When Gajeel was younger and Juvia was so much more fragile and smaller, he could remember his own father dealing with Acnologia's own man getting into his business. Zancrow was a hunting kind of man when it came to possible cash and benefitting from others' misery, Gajeel knew. His father told him at one point that the blonde gangster was somewhat of a child trafficker for drugs and weaponry in Acnologia's industry, and how Zancrow had been lurking around when Gajeel was outside with his baby step-sister…

And it was more than once when Gajeel witnessed his own father attack Zancrow when he came too close to his kids, especially Juvia. Most of the time, Gajeel's dad was an ass (even to Gajeel as a kid, he will admit), but he was the most protective man he had ever seen in his life and cared deeply for his family; Gajeel knew that his dad would take a bullet for his two children and didn't care who it was, which was why he didn't show any mercy to Acnologia's partner whenever he looked at Gajeel or Juvia longer than a second.

It was also why Gajeel didn't show any mercy when he saw Zancrow trying to skip out of town. If anything, Gajeel sought the chance of doing his father a favor in taking out the person who made him stay up all night with loaded guns on the coffee table.

"_Dad?" Gajeel sighed as he rubbed under his eye, seeing the living room lamp on after coming out of his bedroom to use the bathroom for the fifth time that night. Sticking his head around the corner of the wall, the nine year old looked to see his muscular and pretty frightening-looking father lock his gun from refilling the magazine. Scrunching his face, the kid entered the room to reveal himself to his father._

"_What are you doing, Dad?" he asked as he approached the small table, his head tilting at the amount of guns, knives and even his homemade bombs arranged in order. Looking up to his poorly patched face, he could also see how bad the bruising on his skin was developing._

_Metalicana blew a strand of his messy, silvering hair out of his eyesight as he reached for his water. "Just hanging around, kid," he mumbled under his breath before taking a sip. "You shouldn't be up this late, or your face is going to fall off."_

_The kid flinched and narrowed his rusty eyes at his father. "No it's not."_

"_You're right, your hair will fall out," Metalicana said simply, making Gajeel roll his eyes while he snickered._

"_You're a jackass, Dad." Although it was their usual conversations of bad words and bothering each other, Metalicana and Gajeel were very close as father and son and had a wonderful relationship. It was just a bit rougher-looking than most. "What are you doing?"_

_Rolling his matching eyes, Metalicana set his water down. "You're so nosey in shit, kid."_

"_Is it that Zancrow guy again? That's the name of the guy who came by and you chased him, right? The one who gave you that ugly thing," Gajeel pointed to his own face, reflecting his dad's wounded face that made his little step-sister freak out at the sight of blood coming out of his nose and mouth. "He said that he wanted to play with us and show Juvia how to use her little lawn mower -"_

"_That man is bad, Gajeel," Metalicana stopped the ten year old from talking about the day's event of seeing a blond man approaching him and his little sister while they pretended to be gardeners. Juvia's mother had just left with the only car in the driveway when he came from behind the trees, not knowing that the man of the house was still home and keeping an eye on the kids in the front lawn._

_Gajeel was going to tell the stranger to leave his baby sister alone, to let her 'mow the lawn the way she wanted to', when Metalicana came running out of the house with a wrench in each hand and started yelling for his son to take his sister in go in the house._

_Metalicana grabbed one of his knives from his little table collection and flipped it open. "If you ever see that man again, I want you to take Juvia away from him as fast as you can and do whatever it takes to stay away from him," he told his son seriously, tossing the knife to a flip to grasp it by the blade and hold it out the handle to his son, who took it carefully and looked to it in his hand. "That man is not a friend, not like Igneel. You don't see me chasing Igneel off my lawn when he comes near you or your sister, do you?"_

"_No," Gajeel shook his head, knowing very well that, whenever Igneel came to visit with his father after a night at the races and he, his stepsister and stepmother would stay up waiting for him, it was always a fun time. It wasn't often for Metalicana to bring friends over, or anyone from the races anywhere near his house, but Igneel was an exception to the Redfox family. "Sometimes you want to fight him in the backyard after you two drink, and Mom tells me it's because you two are idiots."_

"_Yes, but I would never keep Igneel away from my kids," Metalicana held up a finger of realization to the young boy. "That's the difference."_

"_Why is that Zancrow guy bad?" Gajeel asked slowly, setting the knife on the table. It wasn't the first time he held a knife before, but the conversation somewhat made him feel a bit uneasy holding it._

"_He likes to hurt kids and women, and he tried getting close to you and your baby sister to take you away from me today," he said darkly, and Gajeel has never seen his father give off such a dark aura about anyone before. "He works for Acnologia."_

"_The guy who's on the news all the time?" Gajeel flinched when his father nodded._

"_That guy. But no one is going to take you or your sister away, got it? And, when you get older and become strong like me, you can scare that Zancrow away from our lawn when I'm too old and in a wheelchair. Just don't trip over something and fall on your face."_

"_Jackass!" Gajeel hissed at his dad, who smirked at his fiery personality._

"_Gajeel, you care for your family, right? Even if Juvia and your mom aren't really your family?" Metalicana asked his son, who blinked at the sudden question. "Because I married your mom and Juvia is not related to us and gets sick easily. Does that bother you?"_

"_Why would that bother me?" he narrowed his eyes to him._

"_Because kid," his father breathed before leaning back on the couch, "someday, I may not be able to protect your little sister anymore and I want to know if you can take care of her for me when the time comes…"_

Gajeel was always the protective brother ever since he first held Juvia when she was just a baby. He was always the first to come to her crib when she cried at night, or when she had a bad dream of some sort; when her medical issue became a emotional struggle for her, being unable to go to school or play and run, he would ignore his classmates' invitation to play football to stay inside and play dolls if she wanted. He scared off anyone with a harsh stare or a threat when his sister was uncomfortable by the attention and even made her meals before she was capable of making her own food…

When his dad stopped coming home when he was fourteen and Juvia was seven, Gajeel understood what Metalicana meant by taking care of his family. The feeling to take out the enemy who sought after his father, his sister and even himself for their own personal benefits flowed into his blood when he became the caretaker of his sister. Gajeel can recall all of the times his father came home from a race or a job with burn marks or bruises, and he knew when they came from Zancrow or someone from Acnologia's gang.

Seeing Zancrow cower and cry in fear when cornered put Gajeel in the state of mind that he was now getting the chance to come face-to-face that obviously had to do with what happened with his own father. He had the chance and power to take revenge on the person who made his father fear for his own kids lives and stay up at night to guard the house; the man who Gajeel would look out his and his little sister's bedroom window back in his old home before making sure Juvia was comfortable and going to bed.

Gajeel didn't need to torture Zancrow and prolong the man's suffering, but he did it anyway. He did it for his father who looked after his two kids. He did it for the woman who accepted Gajeel as her own son and gave him the motherly love he went without the first six or seven years of his life. He did it for the sister he promised to protect with everything he could. Juvia may have not known the meaning behind her brother's violence and taking the job more of a mission to absolutely destroy Zancrow, but she didn't question him on the ride home or while she was making her cousin and friends some treats.

Seeing Juvia sleeping like the dead on her little bed, both hers and Gajeel's blankets and pillows supporting her body with plush and warmth, made him remember that Juvia is not the toddler who followed him around the house like a baby duckling. She's not the same kid who would hold the umbrella to shield them both from the rain while he carried her around, or the one who would crawl into his bed with all her stuffed animals and hog his spot, waking him up once or twice to have him sing her the song of 'Shooby-do-bop'.

But, she's still the little sister who has her moments and her struggles.

Recalling how Levy saw her own cousin on the floor and how Gajeel would see how scared Levy was for Juvia, it made him think that there were actually more in the know of how his family works to survive and try to remain strong. Granted, Levy and Juvia have never been able to spend large amounts of time together because of their...well, gang bosses, but Gajeel could definitely tell that Levy worries for both her blood-relative and her boyfriend.

Reaching out to check Juvia's forehead with the back of his hand, he felt her temperature becoming more regular and breathing more clear and relaxed as she slept. Gajeel watched her shift under the piles of blankets at being touched, rolling over the other way and sighing deeply at the major effort to move, as if it was a major exercise; he made a mental note to get her to drink water and take those iron pills Gray had given her…

Gajeel frowned.

No, Juvia was definitely not the little, chubby-cheeked baby who liked to dig through his backpack and chew on his Hotwheels and shoes (Metalicana would get on his ass about picking those up back then). As much as Gajeel really hated to admit that his baby sister was lovesick for the stripping racer from Fairy Tail, having crushing on his since she first saw him when she was about sixteen, he also knew that the other end of the party felt the same. Well...Gajeel _guessed _that Gray Fullbuster liked his sister, but he was also just another guy, and Gajeel knows what guys think when they see a pretty lady walking in shorts and barely a cover over her chest.

How do they think Levy got him to pay attention in what she wanted for their first anniversary?

From what Levy has said through their secret get-togethers and little dates on how Fairy Tail's S-Class racer in the icy-blue car would get flustered whenever she brought up Juvia or how he would get caught readying his bike to drive off to the city and try to get into the bar to check on her, Gajeel took enough to think surely that the young man felt something for his sister. As much as it pained him to even agree with it, Gajeel knew that Juvia couldn't depend on her big brother forever.

"Fuckin' Stripper," Gajeel grumbled, careful not to wake Juvia from his brooding.

.

.

.

Levy sat in the corner wall of her little workstation with Lucy, relishing the rare silence on her side of the garage and the clean-up done by Jet and Droy before they took off to go to school; her project she was currently working on was covered with a neon blue sheet on the farthest lift in her work stations. Voices of people at the bar and other places in the garage could be heard, but it still felt like just the two of them against the wall by her many toolboxes.

When they came back from their trip from the Phantom Lord bar, Erza was called by her husband to help out with his engine. The redhead gave the two girls a glance before Levy perked with a smile and say she had everything handled, waving her off to join her husband and Gray digging in the hood of his Dodge.

Now it was just her and her blonde friend in her favorite spot in the whole garage, sitting on the polished floor.

Levy's brown eyes looked over to Lucy, seeing how she was fiddling with her hands. The mechanic's expression softened as she leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes.

"Juju-chan gets sick like that every once in a while," Levy said softly, but it still startled Lucy to jump in her spot. Opening her eyes a little, Levy looked to the clear counters as she continued to speak. "She's had health issues since we were little, it was a lot worse for her when she was a kid to the point that she couldn't go to school for a while. She's grown out of it a lot, but Juju-chan is still prone to getting episodes when she doesn't get enough sleep or she is overly stressed."

"I'm sorry I reacted that way back there," Lucy mumbled with embarrassment. "It's just…"

"It's okay, Lulu-chan," Levy smiled to her, shrugging her shoulders. "It's normal to react to something unexpected - I don't blame you for crying a little. First time I saw her have an episode, I cried for three days until I saw her again because I thought she died."

"Has...is it anemia?" Lucy hesitated to ask. "I mean, I've read books about health and some illnesses because of my mom, so I'm just wondering."

Levy shook her head. "I don't think so. Juvia doesn't bruise easily or struggle with it constantly," she said cooly. "I haven't really asked about it, even when I was little or whenever I talked to my mom. She doesn't seem to know a lot about it either since my dad made her stop talking to her before my aunt died."

"Juvia-chan's mom passed away?"

"Car accident," Levy explained simply. "It was a bad storm and there was a big crash and she was stuck in the middle. Juju's stepfather did his best to keep me and my mom contact with her until my dad found out and then he went missing when we were seven, like Natsu's dad."

Lucy blinked with absolute confusion when Levy looked at her, taking in her face before responding with an equally curious look. "Did Natsu not tell you about his dad?" Levy asked her slowly, her brows knitting together.

Lucy shook her head. "N-no," she said. "I mean, he told me about how he used to watch his dad race as a kid but that's about it… I didn't think it was in my place to ask him anything else, I suppose."

"Ohh," Levy pouted a little before offering her a little grin. "Well, I wouldn't worry too much about asking him about his old man. Natsu's pretty willing to tell stories about him and his father, since they were kind've the same in personality."

Lucy nodded and hugged her knees a bit closer to her chest. "Still, I hope Juvia-chan is going to be okay. She usually looks so tough and confident around other people, but she's also really sweet."

"That's my Juju-chan for ya," Levy praised sweetly. "She'll be fine though. Gajeel-kun has always been a good big brother to her, so I have no doubt that she will be up and doing backflips in no time."

Lucy swallowed, looking down. "Gajeel...he's actually a pretty nice guy." Stealing a small peek to her blue haired friend, Lucy smiled a little bit. "So he's - I mean, if it's okay for me to say this, but is he your boyfriend?"

"You saw me and him in the back?"

"I didn't mean to," the blonde blushed deeply and Levy snickered. "B-but, yeah, I did see something there and I was just curious. You don't need to tell me if -!"

"We've been dating for a few years now. Three, I believe," Levy sighed with a dreamy look on her face, somewhat like Juvia when she had that 'weird look' in her eye about romance and such. "Even though it's against _his_ gang's rules, only trusted folks know about it and keep it secret from Jose specifically. Totomaru, Erza and Natsu know about it, and so does Juju-chan - although she doesn't count it as _dating _until Gajeel-kun takes me to a expensive restaurant. She's kind've old-fashioned like that. She says that her mom and Gajeel's dad would go out once in a while to do something like that, so Juvia wants that kind of romance for us, I suppose."

"Wow. That's very nice," Lucy blinked and smiled in response, almost as giddy as Levy. "So it's not weird with Juvia being his sister, or..?"

"Nah," Levy grinned. "If anything, Juju-chan was the one who got me with her step-brother. If it wasn't for her, I don't think I'd be dating anyone, which may seem weird since I'm pretty friendly and he's not. I suppose opposites attract, you think?"

Lucy rocked her head for a minute, and Levy took the chance to sneak in a little something. "Kinda like you and Natsu or Gray and my Juju-chan?"

"Well, I really did think Gray and Juvia-chan were already together and -? Wait, what!" Lucy flushed deeply and starred in horror to her friend, who burst into a fit of laughter at the expression. "L-Levy-chan, what are you thinking? N-Natsu and I aren't -!"

"It's okay, Lulu-chan," Levy smiled adorably as she slowly got up from her spot, standing on her feet. Adjusting her skirt, the mechanic gave one last polite look to her blonde friend. "I was the same when I first met Gajeel-kun long ago," she shrugged and offered a wink. "Don't stress yourself on it for too long, okay? I'll make sure to keep Natsu at bay until he can figure out what to do himself. He's not all that smart, you know."

Lucy watched with round eyes as her petite-sized friend waltzed herself away from the ledge, feeling her cheeks red and her heart hammering in her chest as she bit into her knuckle and huffed.

_Really, Levy-chan? _Lucy screamed in her thoughts once the blue-haired woman rounded the corner and announced her presence to the bar. Shouts of people welcomed her and Lucy held her face in her hands, like a embarrassed schoolgirl. _Me and Natsu, like that? What is she thinking?_

Standing up like a lightning bolt, Lucy bit back a squeal of frustration before looking around the mechanic station that was attached to the parking area and she instantly sought out Natsu's flaming ride parked in the corner. It was interesting to see it unmoving and not blasting music she was used to hearing and singing along with inside the interior, but it still drew her close to her partner's car anyway.

Her manicured fingertips carefully along the smooth, top and cold metal hood of the Mitsubishi Lancer, the blonde openly ogled the car on the outside. Call her nuts, but she enjoyed the flames on Natsu's vehicle - as cliche and way-too-common the design is overused in movies and so many other drivers probably share the same flames… However, Natsu has somehow made fire his own trademark and worked it for his own benefit and popularity.

Smiling, Lucy recalled her first experience racing with Natsu in the car; how much she screamed and threatened Natsu's life to let her out before she died, or how he had that dorky smile on his face when he flipped the switches and buttons on his steering wheel to ignite the engine to push him to the finish line…

Lucy stopped when her hand came to the front edge of the hood, remembering that time when the vehicle voice spoke to Natsu of being ready to push ahead. Looking down, the blonde rider gripped the ledge and lifted it just an inch open. She glanced over her shoulder to see if anyone overheard the loud '_screech!_' that startled her ears before lifting the hood up higher to above her head.

Underneath the hood of the Mitsubishi Lancer was what you would expect from a normal car, Lucy concluded at first, until she noticed that the engine of the car wasn't as it should be. The engine was there, yes, thank God, but it wasn't entirely normal as a regular one should be for this brand of car.

Two, bomb-like tanks were on either side of the engine in the color of a neon blue. Wires and a thick pipeline sprouted from one end of it, while the other ends were bolted down by metal poles to connect to the original engine. Lucy's brown eyes blinked a few times at the odd sight underneath the hood…

"Like what you see, Luce?"

"_Jesus Christ!" _Lucy shrieked as she spun around and nearly slapped Natsu in the face. However, seemingly to understand her habits, the pink haired man ducked in time before her hand came to contact with his face. Realizing what she had almost done, her cheeks went deep red and and held both of her cheeks with her hands. "Oh God, I'm sorry! You scared the crap out of me, Natsu!"

"I tend to do that with you apparently. My bad," Natsu grinned before standing straight. He had a bottled soda in his hand with a straw sticking out, most likely Mirajane's doing for her usual customer. Leaning one way to look past Lucy, Natsu chewed on the straw with a cocky grin. "I was wondering when you were gonna look under my hood, actually. I knew you couldn't handle the curiosity!"

"Ahh…" the blonde blinked and peeked back to the blue tank and wires. An embarrassed blush on her cheeks, Lucy tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. "Yeah. It sure is...something, I suppose. Uhm, what is it?"

Pointing directly to the abnormal addition to the car's insides, Lucy looked to Natsu for an answer. But, of course, her favorable driver was completely dumbfounded. "This tank here, Natsu. It's not part of the original brand, isn't it?"

"Oh yeah!" Natsu changed to an upbeat and proud owner of the vehicle's condition. "Yeah, yeah, that's something I came up with myself, actually. That's my other secret weapon here."

"What is it?" Lucy asked, pressing for more details.

Natsu came to her side and leaned on the edge of the opened hood. "It's like a power-up. You know, from video games and stuff like that? Well, this baby right here, is something my dad taught me ever since I was a tiny brat. It's kinda like a hydraulic boost for my engine when I most need it in races - like a giant energy drink for a car that lasts for a few minutes."

"Is that...legal?"

Natsu simply shrugged. "I dunno! But isn't it cool as hell?" Natsu practically cooed to the engine, his dark eyes sparkling. "My dad was the only one who knew how to properly make a tank like this, and he taught it to me and how to make it step-by-step. I probably memorized this before my ABCs."

Lucy smiled a bit at the mention of Natsu talking about his father. There was something that made her happy to hear him speak so highly of his parent like that. "Both of you guys are pretty smart, huh?"

"Hah...not too much," Natsu admitted. Rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand, the pink haired man gave her a half-grin. "My dad's tank could last him as long as he wanted. Practically a whole race would be in the palm of my old man's hand."

Pointing to the tank with a jerk of his thumb, Natsu pouted and it made Lucy remind her of a sad puppy. "My tank doesn't last that long. No matter how many times I try to make a new one, it only lasts for a few minutes. I'm usually in the middle or the back during a race, so I don't have a chance to catch up."

"It's still really cool, Natsu," Lucy praised sweetly. "You should be proud of yourself making a super-mega-ultra trick to your car. I don't think anyone else could come up with it without making a explosion."

"Yeah, I guess. Mira and Levy tried to figure it out, but they can't seem to get it. I've made other ones for Erza and Jellal's ride, and one for Gray too, as a present for saving my ass out of jail one time," Natsu added in, looking at the tank once more before unlatching the hold on the roof.

"What's it called?" Lucy smiled to him, holding her hands behind her back. For some reason, and she couldn't figure it out for the life of her, but she really liked learning more about Natsu. When he looked at her quizzically for a moment, she rolled her eyes with amusement. "The tank, Natsu. Do you have a name for it?"

He gave her a half-grin, beckoning her closer with a finger to more of his side and guided her eyes to look at the bottom rear of the tank. The spot where Lucy couldn't see too well on her original position of red writing in a flaming-like style.

_Fire Dragon_

Lucy ahh-ed before standing back to let Natsu drop the hood of his car and securing it. Natsu then donned his trademark, toothy grin when he spun around and taking another sip of his beverage. "Old man came up with that name, so I figured I'd honor it if I make more, since no one else is able to make it."

"I like hearing about your dad," Lucy confessed with a small sigh. "He sounds like a cool parent to me."

"He was," Natsu agreed, still grinning.

"You think you tell me more about your dad? It doesn't have to be much," she shrugged and began following him towards the way that lead them out of the garage-section of the main floor. Towards the laughter and Cana and Gildart's drunk singing that only sounded like slurs and gibberish. They were standing close as they walked slowly - a little too slow than usual - but Lucy was content with it.

"As long as you tell me more about your ma?" Natsu suggested. Lucy blinked at the mention of her mother and Natsu proceeded to explain. "She sounds like a nice lady. I never got to know my mom. She...kinda left the picture without telling my dad when I was a baby, but I like the stories of you and your mom looking at car magazines."

"That's a deal, I guess," Lucy couldn't help but grin brightly. Her mind was just conjuring up fun and amazing memories of her childhood and her mother; all filled with stars and running in the hallways, drawing pictures and playing in the yard with the maids and butlers with them and smiling.

So much smiling.

"Hey, Natsu," Lucy called out suddenly, remembering something he had said prior. When he made a noise of hearing her call for him, she hopped in her step to get a bit closer. "When you said that the Fire Dragon was your other secret weapon, you have another one?"

"Oh yeah, I did say that, didn't I?" Natsu came to realization.

"So are you gonna tell me your other secret weapon? We're partners, and I'm curious on what your racing tactics are," Lucy raised a brow at him and tilt her head when he looked confused by her suggestion. "C'mon, Natsu! Tell me a little something, at least."

"Luce, you already know my other one," he pointed out matter-of-factly, making Lucy frown. "It's so obvious, Luce! Really?"

Coming into the opening with him and into the more open and brightly lit. Lucy heard Gray call both of them and Cana shrieked into her next song of rapping (Gildarts was the bass sound, but that is best to be ignored). Natsu stopped her from walking further by gently grasping her arm, locking eyes for a long moment before he broke into his dorky grin that made her heart pitter-patter a little bit harder in her chest.

"N-Natsu?"

"You're my other secret weapon, Luce. The best one ever!" he declared proudly. No one else seem to have heard this, but Lucy's ears started pounding as her blood rushed and her eyes widened.

"Oi, Lucy," Gray called out boredly with his beer in hand, "Flamebrain, what are you two dorks just standing there -?"

_SMACK!_

"Oww! Lucy, what was that for? What did I do?" Natsu cried out from the floor he was currently laying on. All eyes were now on the two as Lucy - with a red face and embarrassed expression on her face - crossed her arms and stomped over to Lisanna behind the bar and Levy saving a spot for her, all jaw dropped and confused.

"Stupid Natsu! Don't embarrass me like that, you dork!" Lucy grumbled out loud as she took her seat and faced Lisanna. "Lisanna-chan, can you get me a drink, please?"

"Sure," Lisanna said calmly, as if she was used to Lucy and Natsu's behavior, just surprised by Lucy smacking Natsu behind the head. The short haired woman grinned and turned to prepare a drink for the blonde, leaving Levy to blink in confusion.

"Did I miss something, Lulu-chan?" Levy asked.

"Nope!" Lucy declared strongly, her nose upturned in the air.

In the back, Cana and Gray were looking down to Natsu on the tiled floor. Cana, of course, was slurping her drink and gurgling her laughter in the mix. Gray still looked bored as he hauled Natsu to sit up (somehow Natsu was able to manage to hold his drink upright to prevent spills).

"The hell did you do to Lucy?" Gray asked him.

"I don't know!" Natsu whined. "Luuuce, please don't be mad at me! I didn't do it! It was Gray whatever pissed you off, I swear!"

"WHAT!" Gray snapped.

Cana hiccuped and grinned up to Lucy, who only peeked from the corner of her eye to make sure Natsu was okay. "Natsu was just being mushy-gushy wiff Lucy-chaaan! Dorkable babies!"

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=xxx=

AUTHOR'S ENDING NOTE - _THE CHAPTER ENDED THE WAY I DIDN'T WANT TO, BUT OH WELL _(I needed some more NaLu, honestly). I should figure out how many chapters are left soon, so keep an eye open for that on the next update. Special thanks to all my Reviewers and to those who mention me on tumblr - red face- It's really nice!

Have a wonderful day!


	10. Chapter 10

Just a minor warning that there is a semi-graphic scenario at the end. Basically just blood/gore, but nothing too horrible that it would make you sick, I would guess.

Don't forget to Favorite, Follow, Review or scream into the abyss because I am a loser for updating so late! I love you!

=xxx=

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R_i_**d**e '_**e**_m _H_**a**r_**d**_

Chapter 10

Lucy covered the top of her head with her arms when debry of dust and cement particles clouded her vision, protecting her head from any sharp rocks. Waiting until the scuffle coming from behind her hiding spot of the giant barrels, Lucy cracked one brown eye open and listened as best as she could with her ears, even though they were ringing a tiny bit from the echoing crash.

Before she could pick up anything, a large mass dropped itself by her side, making her squeal in shock as she swung her head around to see Natsu all covered in dust and sneezing like the dork he was. "Natsu!" she yelped before lightly pushing his shoulder when he made a questionable snort. "What happened?"

"Fell through the wall, is all. Wasn't supported well enough," Natsu said as he shook his hands through his pink hair, removing any pale dust off of his head and brush his shoulders clean. He was wearing a white shirt and black jeans with his racing boots, a couple tears exposing his torso, he didn't look to be bleeding and Lucy took that for a good result. "You doing okay?"

"Can I come out now?" the blonde sighed as she willingly reached up and fluffed his hair, where he missed the spot to remove the dust. "We're suppose to find that safe, not tear down the whole place."

"Yeah, yeah," the racer grumbled in a pout before standing up, grabbing the slender hand along with him to bring Lucy to her feet. "I couldn't find anyone in here, so we're all good to go!"

The job was simple. All Natsu and Lucy had to do was go to this abandoned warehouse outside the limits of the city and look for a safe that belonged to a name that was found on the files Lucy obtained back in the train - the station was ecstatic with the newfound information the files gave once translated - and asked Makarov to look into it. Makarov had explained to Natsu and Lucy that the files noted about a safe holding on to more documents on future deliveries, which the dealers would sneak into and take without notice (trespassing was fairly simple, if you do it right). Natsu and Lucy just got permission…

They drove into the parking garage to find motorbikes leaned against the walls, so Natsu - the overprotective partner he is with Lucy - told her to hide away from the car while he scoped out the area. As usual, the pink haired racer must've thoroughly searched the garage for any cameras or wires, just incase. Some of the garage had construction around, and Lucy found the wall he fell through and onto a pile of debris and rubble that knocked over.

Lucy shook her head with amusement when Natsu strolled lazily over to the doorless entryway that would lead into the warehouse before following close behind him. Her taser strapped to her belt and her blonde hair in low ponytails, she felt confident in her given task as she kept up with her partner in the hallway, looking into rooms that they passed by, either trashed or empty.

"Where do you usually hide a safe in the drug dealer's world?" Lucy asked when she hopped closer to his side, looking to see him somewhat ignoring the rooms on his side. "You seem to know where you're going, Natsu."

"In the office?" Natsu guessed dumbly, making Lucy twitch at his answer.

"Really?" Lucy sighed before slapping her palm to her forehead. "Haven't you done something like this before?"

"Well, yeah, but every drug boss is different!" Natsu shrugged before smiling to Lucy like he always does. "Some keep it in the most obvious spots and others tend to hide it, and it gets really annoying sometimes. One time, Erza told me to go find this guy's safe who was running an illegal operation of child labor, and I couldn't find it whatsoever! Funny thing was that the safe was in the dude's bathroom under the sink."

"Sometimes I wonder if you make some of these stories up," Lucy sighed again, but smiling nonetheless at how serious he was being in actually starting to look around for clues.

"I ain't gonna lie to ya, Lucy," Natsu grumbled like a stubborn child, making Lucy giggle and reach to grip on to the hem of his shirt as he hurried in his pace. He seemed to have his attention in seven different places at once. "It was in his bathroom, and it was a nasty-lookin' place to be, I swear to God. You walk in there and it hits you like when Laxus tried to electrocute me while I was sleeping."

"Well, that doesn't surprise me," Lucy said bluntly, stopping Natsu by tugging on his shirt to go into a room that resembled a trashed bedroom you would see in a crime movie. Paper littered with empty beer cans and a torn up mattress in one corner, Lucy used her foot to kick a small pile of crumpled paper to see names written on it.

"What'cha lookin' at?" Natsu asked when she reached down and picked up a pink paper.

"This paper has train routes and delivery stops on it," she said, holding the paper up for him to take. "The file didn't have any deliver routes, did it?"

"Not that I remember," Natsu shrugged before tapping a corner of it. "This is dated from last week, too, and it's crossed out the train we got into to get the drugs. Looks like they were going someplace in the city after the trains top."

"Does it say where?" she asked, frowning to see him shake his head.

"Wherever it was gonna go, they scratched it out. I can't tell what it says, but we can probably hand it over to Gramps to give to the station when we get back," he offered with a half-grin. "You're good at this, Luce! Like a detective, or something."

Lucy rolled her eyes and got up to look around the room. "I don't see a safe in here, but they seem to look over junk in this room. Wanna check out another room?"

"Hold on a moment," Natsu reached into his pack pocket and pulled out a switchblade, making his way over to the shredded mattress. The blonde watched with a raised brow as her partner dug the knife into the torn part in the middle, yanking out chunks of the stuffing and throwing it over his shoulder, littering the room more before he perked.

"What is it?"

Natsu pocketed the switchblade before reaching in with both hands into the stomach of the mattress, pulling out a small-sized, silver safe with a black spin in the middle. A dorky grin on his tanned face, the racer snickered like a naughty thief as he placed the safe on his toned shoulder. "Looks like we hit the jackpot after all, Luce. Wait until I get to rub this in ice prick's face!"

"Calm down there, cowboy," Lucy chuckled as she got to her feet. "We should still check out the rest of the place, you know. Just incase there's more than one safe or we find something to bring back."

"Oh shit, that sounds pro," Natsu's eyes opened wide at Lucy's serious idea, dropping the safe into his palms as he weighed it carefully. "Alright, we'll check the rest out. I'm gonna put this in the backseat. You wait here until I come back, then we can check it out."

With that said, Natsu hauled the safe out, leaving the blonde in the trashed room to look around boredly for one minute. The mattress stuffing and shredded paper all over the place, Lucy couldn't pick out anything else that was of importance to their job.

'_It's not gonna hurt to look in the next room,' _Lucy thought as she came to the doorway, looking both ways of the hallway before stealing a sneaky glance to the closed door a little ways ahead. She was above the garage, so it was going to take Natsu a couple minutes to get to the car, dispose of the safe inside and come back. And, honestly? Lucy hates waiting when there is so much more to explore.

'_Come to think of it,' _she thought as she walked over to the door and opened it, '_I don't think I've ever been this brave until I came to Fairy Tail. It's kinda funny how an undercover gang can make me feel more alive and confident with little things!'_

Opening the door and walking inside, Lucy couldn't help but smile. '_I probably have Natsu to thank for that, honestly. He's the more adventurous and wild one compared to everyone else when it's on the job…'_

A cough stopped Lucy from taking another step, brown eyes coming up to meet bloodshot, ugly ones from across the room near the window. A grunt with heavy tattoos and lack of hair stared straight back at her; dressed in a stained tank and torn jeans, the man was unclean and gnarly-looking as he turned in his cushion, a syringe in one hand and another arm bound with a rubber strap. Lucy stiffened when he moved, her fingers shaking and knees wobbling.

"A...ah..!" she stuttered with her back straightening to a point when the man sloshed to a stance.

"Whad'ya doin' 'ere, hah?" the man slurred, obviously angered by being interrupted for his intended drug-intake. Lucy barely noticed the bottles and cans of empty alcohol around the floor and a heavy stench of the beverage and other unpleasant odors in the air to know fairly well that he wasn't all in the right mind. "Who sent ya in 'ere? 'm busy! Tell 'em I ain't interested in a whore right now!"

Lucy's teeth clattered when his eyes sharpened a stabbing glare at her. Her hands slowly reaching to her belt loops, trying to remember where exactly she placed her taser. When she did so, the man seemed to have noticed what was going on.

"What are ya -? _Hey!_" the man's voice raised when Lucy took a step back and he slammed his syringe on the floor, shattering it. The grunt began taking hard stomps towards her. "_WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE -!"_

By some magical way, Lucy was able to grasp her taser and point it at the man, pulling the trigger and watched in slow motion as the probes shot and aimed perfectly on the man's dirty chest. The addict stiffened and suddenly shuddered to the ground, causing a hard thud to the floor before going completely limp. Lucy let out a shaky exhale when the taser died down and retracted to the gun, her heart pounding hard in her ribcage.

"Oi! What's goin' on?" another alien voice came from up the small flight of stairs to Lucy's right, making her eyes widen. "We're tryin' to sleep, ya fuckin' asshole!"

She refused to hesitate as she dashed to her left, where she and Natsu came from, not looking behind her when footsteps came closer and noises of men started shouting at the surprising sight of their companion on the floor. Nearly stumbling down the steps into the garage, Lucy dove towards the familiar body of Natsu rising from behind the driver's side door, jumping on him with tears in her eyes.

"Luce, what was -?"

"They're coming. We gotta go!" she gasped urgently before scrambling to her side of the car, ripping the door open and leaping inside. "Come on, Natsu! I got their attention!"

Natsu was about to speak before a shout came from the doorway that lead into the building. "_HEY!_"

Natsu saw four dirtied men pulling out their guns from their pockets, making the pink haired man blink before ducking at a flying bullet. Getting inside the car rather calmly, Natsu slammed the door shut and locked his vehicle before looking to Lucy with narrowed eyes.

"What are you _doing?_ We gotta go!" Lucy screamed at him, seeing the goons trying to open the car doors and shooting at the windows. However, the Lancer was equipped to be bulletproof and stubborn as a tank.

"What did I say about waiting for me, Luce?" Natsu scolded with a serious tone in his voice that made the blonde freeze for a second. "I told you to wait for me to come back before leaving the room!"

"I didn't mean to run into a _fucking drug addict!_" Lucy yelled back at him in her seat. "I tased him when he tried coming at me and I freaked out! I woke them up, okay? I'm _sorry!_"

"Wait, you used your taser someone?" Natsu blinked with surprise. He suddenly smiled with interest. "Ya serious? Where'd ya get him, Luce?"

"_Natsu!" _Lucy shrieked when one of the men slammed their fists into her window, making her lean away from the window and grip onto Natsu's torn shirt.

"OPEN UP!" one of them screamed, causing Natsu to go still.

"Why ain't the bullets breakin' it?"

"Some kind of bulletproof shit!"

"Just get the fucking whore, alright!"

Lucy peeked up to see Natsu with a grumpy expression, seeing how one of the men were trying to climb on the hood of his ride. Sitting back in his seat, Natsu turned on the car and reversed the gears, hitting the gas to cause a ear-piercing screech as they flew backwards into the dusty field, the man stumbling back onto the floor of the garage as his friends screamed. Lucy yelped at the sudden force, gripping tighter to Natsu as she lost her balance and landed with her face into his rock-hard abs, hurting her nose.

The remaining three ran to their bikes and readied to chase after them, prompting Natsu to casually reach over to the glove box and pull out a handgun. Lucy squeaked in shock when he spun the car around with one hand on the wheel as the motorbikes made their way towards them; the city was in sight, but at a great distance away, Lucy knew, and she felt her heart in her throat.

"Luce," Natsu called her name for her to look up from her spot against his lap. He gave her a kind smile, but his tone was the opposite of his usual, childish self. "Stay down, okay? I'm opening the windows."

"What?" Lucy gawked, but her partner was already doing so already.

Aiming the gun to one side of the opened window, Natsu waited until the first motorbike came to view, shooting at the front tire to explode and cause the rider to crash. Lucy figured none of them bothered to put on helmets, so the agonyzing scream she heard gave her the idea of what kind of mess it was.

"GET 'EM!" one of the men shouted at Natsu's side of the car, prompting the pink haired man to switch his aim to the remaining two on their own bikes, closing one eye to aim directly at the grunt's shoulder. A horrible scream came from the man's mouth, making Lucy plug her ears as the swivel and crash came afterwards.

The last biker remained in Natsu's out of range, but the racer didn't need his gun to finish the job as he pocketed it in his pants where Lucy wasn't holding on too tightly. Spinning the wheel, Natsu rammed the side of his ride to the bike, forcing it to skid and make the rider fly off forward on the trail. Lucy watched as Natsu changed the gears and spun a half-circle to a stop, making the car lurch.

With careful handling, Natsu peeled Lucy's arms off of him and settled her upper body on his seat as he exited the car, allowing her to see him approach the fallen biker feet away from his bike; his leg twisted at a horrible angle and a bad wound to his naked back, the man groaned painfully before looking up to see Natsu hovering over him.

Dropping down to rest his elbows on his knees, Natsu grabbed the back of the man's dirty hair and rolled his head back, forcing eye contact. The man whimpered in pain as Natsu glared darkly before standing, still holding to the man's head and turning around.

Holding the man's injured body to the opened door, Natsu ignored the pained groan and begging from the biker as he spoke in a low voice. "Ya see her in there? Do you see her in the car?" he barked darkly, making both Lucy and the man flinch at his tone. "_Answer me!_"

The man nodded, tears swelling in his eyes. "P-please, man..! D-don't -!"

"She's _not_ a whore, you understand?" Natsu stopped him, gripping his scalp tighter to make him shriek in pain. Lucy slowly sat up, her breathing deep and hard. "Now, apologize to her."

"I-I ain't the one who -!"

"_APOLOGIZE!"_

The man sobbed before going limp in Natsu's hold. "I-I'm sorry, man. I'm sorry!" he sobbed to Lucy, his eyes begging for her to do something. "I'm sorry! Sorry!"

Natsu dropped the chanting man and stomped on his head to knock him out, a blank expression on his face as he left the man with his face planted in the dirt. He made his way back to the car and got inside, making Lucy watch him close the door and put on his seatbelt. She didn't get much to say when Natsu leaned over her and slipped her belt over her torso and locked her in properly before resuming to his driving towards the city with no one after them.

Lucy swallowed thickly, stealing a few glances to her driver before coming up with the smallest amount of courage to talk. "N-Natsu…"

"I'm not mad that you nearly got caught, Luce," he said, his voice calm and casual. The kind of Natsu she was used to, and it made her feel a little bit better. "I'm actually really glad that you used your taser before someone was able to grab ya. That would've turned out messy if you hadn't."

Lucy turned her head to him with furrowed brows. She didn't say anything as she watched him take a deep breath and kept his eyes on the road ahead of them - coming onto a paved trail that would lead back to the city. "It bothered me that one of those shits climbed on the car - not like it was already dirty, but you don't go rubbing your dirty self all over my ride like that. But, besides that, that didn't get to me as much as it normally does."

"T-then what made you so mad?" she asked in a quiet voice, her hands twisting on her lap nervously.

"Because they called you a whore, and I didn't like it," he said seriously, head coming back to rest against the headrest of his seat. Lucy noted it that it was something he did when he truly felt stressed about something (Erza's scolding was usually the cause of this move), and hearing him say the inappropriate word sounded strain to her ears.

Lucy's eyes stun for some reason, but her heart was feeling light and sweet in her chest. It felt like her stomach had butterflies inside, so it was pointless to try to hide that tiny smile from emerging on her lips. Exhaling slowly, Lucy relaxed in her spot and leaned over, resting her head on Natsu's strong shoulder, right where his gang tattoo poked out from the short sleeve of the white shirt. Natsu peeked down to her to see her relaxed, yet he blinked in confusion.

"You doin' okay, Luce?" he asked her, now sounding concerned. "You're not hurt, are ya?"

She shook her head slowly against his torn shirt, her smile still present. "No, I'm good. Thank you, Natsu," she whispered to him.

"What for? I didn't do anything," Natsu whined with a huff, making her smile a bit bigger and hide her tiny giggle. "Those assholes had it coming!"

"Mmhm," she sighed against him. '_You honestly have no idea how much you've done, you idiot,' _she thought, wishing she could have said that instead. However, she didn't feel like it was right to say it outloud, even though she knew she _could_ at this point.

"Oi, ya feeling hungry at all? Feel like I could go for a cheeseburger or two right now, after all that trouble we went through."

Lucy's eyes cracked open and her smile turned to a firm line of irritation. "We literally just ate before coming out here. That was no longer than two hours ago, Natsu," she reminded him through clenched teeth.

Natsu, however, as usual, was his giddy self in the end of it all. "But think about the cheeseburgers, Lucy!" he snickered with delight the closer they got to the city. "Should we get Mira's cheeseburgers, or go through a drive-thru? Ooh, how 'bout _both_?"

"No, Natsu," she told him sternly. "Wait until dinner, so you won't get sick so easily when you and Gray do that stupid brawl you two do after every meal."

"You know he starts it, right? I didn't do anything!"

Lucy rolled her eyes before closing them, mumbling to Natsu to shut his mouth as she held onto his arm gently that was casually laying on the gear shift while he drove with one hand. The driver asked her if she felt okay after being chased and using her present for the first time, Lucy smiled once more and told him she was just fine.

'_Really more than just fine,' _she thought, feeling how Natsu relaxed under her touch. Her heart skipped a beat in her chest, but she kept that for herself. '_Definitely more than just fine…'_

=xxx=

Gray cracked his neck in his usual spot at Mirajane's bar when he noticed Laxus walking by with certain gear on. Studded belts with holsters for his guns grenades around his waist. Blinking, Gray spun around in his stool, seeing the white haired woman scurrying with Laxus' old vest in her arms.

"Laxus-kun," Mirajane called sweetly to her fiance, making the blond man stop and turn to see her holding it out for him. "Don't forget your lucky charm!"

Makarov's grandson went a little pink in the cheeks, refusing to look anywhere as he allowed Mirajane help him put it on. It had matching studs with his belt and a tiny, white patch over where his heart was with a red lipstick kiss on it. Gray remembered it being something Mirajane gave him to pin on his vest for extra luck when he used to race, but that was a while ago…

Way back when Laxus and Mirajane said they were getting married and she was retiring from racing while Laxus took time off.

"Oi," Gray called out as he jumped off his seat. He didn't have a shirt on, having worked on his ride and got it dirty a while ago, he shoved his hands in his pants pockets as he made his way over. Laxus looked boredly to Gray's way while Mirajane blinked. "Where ya going, Laxus? You look like you're going to a race, or something."

"Why don't you stay out of my business, princess," the blond bit back stubbornly.

Mirajane lightly pat Laxus's chest. "Be nice. He's just curious!" she scolded with a small smile before looking back to Gray, offering him that look that made the dark haired man know that this definitely wasn't his place to ask questions. "Laxus-kun is just going to take care of something for Master Makarov, that's all. The usual messenger errands, Gray, you know how that is."

Gray blinked slowly before shrugging, making Mirajane smile bigger. "Please excuse us while I give Laxus-kun a proper goodbye, Gray," she waved him off gently. Not wanting to anger either of them, Gray sighed and spun on his heel to make his way back to the bar.

However, Gray kept his ear open to listen in on their whispered conversation.

"Don't worry about it," Mirajane told her fiance in a sweet voice.

"How the hell does Gramps expect to keep up when the kids are nosey little shits?" Laxus grumbled in annoyance, making Mirajane giggle at his attitude. "Swear if it was Natsu, I would've thrown him outta the garage."

"No, you wouldn't," Mirajane cooed before giving him a light kiss. "Otherwise I would have made you sleep outside for three days."

"Such a mother hen," the man sighed. "I'll be back in a hour or so, 'kay?"

Gray slid back into his seat and looked to Lisanna, who was cleaning a glass with a rag. "Oi, Lisanna," he snipped for her attention, making the youngest Strauss sibling walk over without looking up from her task at hand. "Got any idea what's going on around here? I've noticed Macao and Wakaba out more often than usual."

"No clue," Lisanna shrugged before looking up to him. "I haven't noticed much. Maybe they're taking more jobs from the station?"

Gray sniffed before stealing a glance over his shoulder, seeing Mirajane wave off a yellow 2000 Honda Civic with black lightning stripes on the side. "There's gotta be something they're not telling us."

"It's probably nothing, Gray," the short haired waitress told him with a half-grin. "You're just paranoid because Erza has been on your ass about getting out of the garage lately."

"Am not!"

"Yes, you are," Cana slurred from the other side of the bar, making Gray tense and glare her way. The brunette winked at him and shot him a gun hand before grabbing her bottle of whiskey. "Ya shoulda seen him last night, Lisanna. Erza actually did a Falcon Kick when Gray got on his bike! I'm surprised he's still even walking straight!"

"Shove it, Cana," Gray snapped at his friend, only to see her splutter a half-fart-half-laugh noise from her mouth as she got up from her spot and moved closer.

"Look," Cana sang, "just because you're only allowed to see Juvia-chan at races is not the end of the world, Romeo!" The racer smiled and pinched Gray's cheek. "Even I have been worried about what's going on - think of Levy, too, Gray! Get on the boat with us!"

"You're hammered," Gray stated bluntly, seeing Cana hiccup drunkenly. "Go crash somewhere."

"Gray, be nice!" Mirajane pouted from behind, startling the racer to see how close she got to their conversation. She didn't look mad, so it was a good sign for now. "You know Erza-chan is keeping you out of trouble, right? She just doesn't want you to get in trouble at Phantom Lord right now with everything that's going on."

"Just because of the possibility of Acnologia being out there doesn't mean I can't go out and ride," Gray snorted and rolled his eyes. "The man's an old fart now, isn't he? Even if it is him, he doesn't stand a chance with us. Hell, I can probably tag his cane or oxygen tank for those losers back in -!"

"Don't go spouting shit, Gray," Erza's voice sent a chill up his spine when he turned around to see Erza coming out of the curtain of the kitchen. He didn't know she was back there helping with the cleanup. "You remember what Master said to us, right?"

"Just get his attention, tag him, let the FBI deal with the rest. End of story," Gray repeated to the redhead. "I know, I _know. _It's just that I don't see why we have to lift our skirts and tiptoe everywhere."

Erza's brown eyes softened a bit as she glanced to Mirajane, who offered her a tiny smile. "This may be nothing, yes, I can certainly agree with you on that," she told Gray, crossing her arms under her chest. "And it's true that Acnologia is an old man at this point, but he holds as much power as all the drug lords we've caught combined with a rank of the highest you can imagine.

"I don't expect you to get it, Gray, I don't," Erza continued. "You haven't experienced what it's like to be under Acnologia's control like I have."

Gray's eyes widened a bit. "No, I didn't mean -!"

"But I expect you to know that I don't plan on losing anyone else who is close to me to that man," she told him seriously, her brown eyes piercing his dark ones to silence him. "I have Fairy Tail as my family, and I intend to do whatever it takes to keep you younger ones out of his way - if it is him, that is - and that goes for Phantom Lord, too. The more you go out and spend time at another gang's establishment, it can cause people to stare and start whispering around."

Erza took a deep breath and slipped her hands to her waist. "_Whoever_ this guy is, funding these races with all this money, he's got to be looking for something. I don't want anyone I hold dear to me to experience the pain I've been through. I've seen you kids grow up and I want you all to be safe."

Gray swallowed and looked down to the counter. "It's not like we're _that _young, Erza…"

The redhead couldn't resist to smile and reach over and plop her hand on top of Gray's messy hair. "Still, who has been the one to keep you and Natsu in line since working here, hm? I count that for something, that's for sure. You two are more like cranky toddlers that I don't think I'll ever consider having kids."

"Bahaha!" Cana laughed at Gray's reddening face of embarrassment, making Erza smirk sweetly at the change of atmosphere.

"That goes for you too, Cana," Erza added in, making the brunette grin lovingly to the older woman. "To everyone, basically. You know I care."

"Ahh, you're so sweet, Erza-chan," Mirajane cooed sweetly, holding her cheeks with both hands and blushing. Gray rolled his eyes at the other older woman's reaction to her closest friend - sometimes Gray questions some Fairy Tail members he lives with, but he wouldn't change it for anything else, really. "Ah, and it's around that time. Erza-chan, wanna help me ready dinner?"

"Dinner?" Natsu's voice perked, making Gray groan as he saw his friend and his blonde partner approach. He didn't hear them roll in or leave the car, but he could tell that their job was pretty interesting with the amount of dirt was caked onto Natsu's car - and a small, colored scratch on the driver's side.

Gray raised a brow and didn't bother to question it when he turned in his spot and greeted them. "What took you so long, flamebrain? Thought you and Lucy got stuck asking for directions."

"Oi, Luce is a kickass navigator, you flimsy snowflake!" Natsu grouched, taking Lucy's wrist and pulling her closer to his side as he got them both a stool. Gray noticed Lucy's cheeks going red and Cana making a quiet wolf-whistle under her breath and a additional cat meow. "Ya should've seen her kick someone's ass today. She used her taser and everything!"

"Oh God," Lisanna gasped before looking to see Lucy's whole body tense beside Natsu and go deep red that spread to her neck. "Lucy, are you okay? You didn't get hurt, did you?"

"No! I'm fine, really!" the blonde weakly laughed back to her friend, trying to ease the short haired woman's nerves with a smile.

The vivid image of Laxus in his gear made Gray want to turn to Natsu. Despite the two probably itching to wrestle and try to kick each others' ass was probably still on their to-do list, Gray knew he could definitely look to the pink haired man for his input on the whole situation. Gray knew he wasn't paranoid or going crazy, and something was totally happening behind their backs (or, as Erza would say, behind the kids' backs); and Gray could just tell that Natsu wanted all the details in as much as he did, there was no question about that.

However, when he looked to see Natsu wrapping an arm around Lucy and held three fingers to Lisanna with that stupid, dorky grin on his face, asking for that amount of cheeseburgers, Gray held his tongue. As much as it was probably driving him up a wall to know what is up around here and what could be going on at Phantom Lord right now, Gray couldn't bring himself to interfere with Natsu looking _normal._

Normal is a stretch, but the subject of the possibility of Acnologia and the disappearance of Natsu's father would definitely have the said racer wrapped around their finger and locked tight. Usually, when something came up that Natsu would think dealt with his dad, the young man would devote every breath of his life into digging deeper into it with no one holding him back. Gray could remember times when Natsu refused to sleep or even sit down the last time a rumor came up of Igneel somewhere out there - even recalling the one time when Natsu went on a trip to nearby cities asking around. That definitely got his ass kicked when he came home to a angry Makarov when he was only fourteen and drove illegally.

Something was different with Natsu for sure, Gray could tell just by listening to his happy-go-lucky shouts of trying to get Mirajane to approve of his meal. Looking a bit past his best friend, Gray looked to the tense but appearing to be content Lucy Heartfilia still under Natsu's muscular arm, biting her lip as she shut her eyes tightly when Natsu moved them both around from side-to-side.

'_I hate it when Levy is right about something,' _Gray frowned deeply, looking away with slight irritation.

.

.

.

Juvia looked up from her meal when her brother's phone went off on the table between them, vibrating that irritating ringtone that signaled the both of them that it was Jose calling (Juvia told Gajeel to pick the most annoying one, so he would actually answer to shut it up). Glancing to her sibling across from her, she watched him place his bottle of beer down and grab the device, flipping it open with a sigh and putting it to his ear.

"What do ya want, Jose," Gajeel said flatly, making Juvia offer him a sweet smile before going back to her food, biting into the soup Totomaru made for everyone. "We're eatin' here, ya know."

"Hades called saying he has a bonus for you two to pick up," Juvia heard Jose on the other end, being that Gajeel always had the volume up when he was on call so she could hear it. Sue and Boze stopped eating to look to their table. Totomaru was currently folding rags and towels for the kitchen, freshly cleaned at the bar. "Something 'bout how you two turned it up a notch after your little 'vacation', and Hades' boss appreciated that."

"Then we'll pick it up on our next call," Gajeel snorted. "There's no race tonight and we already have plans on workin' on our rides for the next one."

"Hades said they'll be out of town and they want you to pick it up now for safety measures," Jose sighed, obviously not happy with Gajeel's attitude. "Look, I would've told Hades the same fuckin' thing, but he was pretty insistent that you and Juvia got it tonight. He didn't take a rain check for nothin', so I'm guessing his boss was pretty hard on him about it."

"Then why go for all that trouble to give us a fuckin' bonus?" Gajeel snapped.

Juvia rolled her eyes and held out her hand to him, silently asking for the phone. Knowing that he couldn't refuse, Gajeel placed the phone in her hand while she used her other to wipe her mouth with the napkin. Pressing the phone to her ear, Juvia did her best not to sound too cranky as her step-brother.

"Master Jose, do you think they'll be fine if we just finish up eating here and head out?" she asked politely. Jose really never had a bad attitude with her as much, and when he found out about Juvia's accident a week ago, he ordered Sol to get a small heater for Juvia to remain warm in their bedroom for the two days she took to rest. Juvia was grateful for the temporary gift, and she recovered quicker than expected and got herself and her brother to take on jobs for both Jose and Hades to make up for the lost time.

It was even better to see Levy and her friends happy to see her at the track, even though Natsu and Gray didn't know what made the girls so giddy with small tears.

"Don't take too long, he's expecting you two within the hour," Jose grumbled. Juvia grinned then, thanking him for allowing the two to finish eating. "I'm stopping by tonight to go over bills and shit, so whatever the bonus is that Hades' boss is giving ya, make sure you record it."

"You mean Nii-chan and I can keep it all?" Juvia blinked, ignoring Gajeel suddenly choking on his food and Sue gasping in shock.

"Why not," Jose drawled. "You two brought in a lot of money this past week - a lot more than what I would ever expect from you guys, for that matter - so keep it for yourself. Unless it's material, then you know what that means."

Juvia frowned. "Master Jose knows you can keep whatever powder we obtain for gifts."

The gang boss chuckled on the other line, making Juvia roll her eyes again and hoped to whatever God existed that the bonus didn't contain anything else other than cash. "That's my girl, Juvia. Now hurry up and don't piss 'em off. They'll be meeting you at the parking ramps by the shipyard. I'm sending the directions to the phone."

"Thank you, Master Jose. We'll see you later," Juvia said respectfully before waiting for Jose to hang up to close the phone. Looking up to see Gajeel having a stink face, Juvia offered him an amused smile. "What's with the face, Nii-chan?"

"Don't know why we gotta see Pirate Santa Claus on our day off," he grouched. "Can get the money some other time, ya know."

"We need to keep the big man happy, Nii-chan," Juvia sighed before looking to Sue and Boze. "What do you guys think the bonus will be?"

"Hopefully enough to get an operation to get that pole out of Boze's ass," Sue said strongly, making her relative stiffen and curse her three different ways while Totomaru chuckled in the back. "It's great, though, Juvia-sama! We're actually getting money this time, and Jose is letting us keep it!"

"We ain't makin' shit, Sue," Boze reminded her. "Gajeel-sama and Juvia-sama are the ones who's making money, not us."

"Either way, it's a nice treat," Totomaru said to break the little fight between the younger gang members by slamming down two cans of drinks on their table, making them freeze. Smiling to the older young adults, the retired professor tilt his head forward to them. "Congratulations, you two. You deserve every penny of it."

"Probably the dude's hand-me-downs, thinking we're uncivilized brutes," Gajeel rolled his eyes before looking back to Juvia finishing up her soup and bread. "Ya want to go now?"

"The sooner we get it done, the quicker we come home and work on the rides," Juvia sang before standing up. "Nii-chan, Juvia is gonna finish with changing her wheel, then we can head out. Hurry up." She encouraged him by lightly patting their table, making Gajeel retort with his usual '_I ain't a little kid, you little kid!' _before she headed past the bar Totomaru was at, slipping through the curtain to the back garage.

"Hurry up, Gajeel-sama!" Juvia heard Sue call in an excited voice as she made her way over to her shared toolbox in the corner. "I wanna see what you guys got!"

"Don't rush me, kid! I'm a grown ass man!" Gajeel hissed, making the blue haired racer smile before crouching down. Reaching into her tank, between her breasts, Juvia pulled out her small set of keys and found one specific silver one that fit perfectly into the last drawer of the box tower.

Unlocking it, Juvia quietly opened the drawer to display her layout of her guns, bombs and other weapons she carries on her person. This was her own drawer that her brother gave her to use for whatever she wanted to keep safe, giving her the key that would only open that one when she wished.

Picking up her two black handguns and four packs of magazines, Juvia carried them to her cranked Nissan and dumped them on her passenger seat through the window. Reaching in halfway, Juvia checked to see her switchblades still in their place, wedged between the radio and the controls of her radio and internal gear.

Sighing, Juvia ran a hand through her wavy hair as she pulled back from her car, resting her other hands on the top of her car. '_This isn't going to end too well,' _she thought grimly in her thoughts, her stomach twisting.

"Oi, squirt," her step-brother came through the other curtain, chewing on his last bit of bread to find her contemplating to herself. Raising a studded brow, the tall, burly man approached to the other side of her car and rest his arms on it.

"What's up, kid?" Gajeel asked her. Juvia tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear before looking to her brother with a semi-worried expression.

"Juvia has a bad feeling," she confessed to him quietly so that none of their other members could hear.

"What, ya feel sick?" Gajeel tensed and tried to study her face for any signs. When she shook her head, he relaxed somewhat. "Then what the hell?"

"About going to pick up the bonus," she explained. "Juvia can't explain it, and she knows Jose is too oblivious to notice it, and maybe Nii-chan too -" she ignored her brother muttering a '_hey!' _at her "- But Juvia just has a feeling that something is up. Juvia wants Nii-chan to prepare."

"For what? The apocalypse?"

"Nii-chan, seriously," Juvia narrowed her eyes at him.

Gajeel groaned, craning his neck back before giving in. "Fine, I'll bring a gun with me, but I highly doubt there's anything wrong with picking up a client's payment for us. How about after this, we go pick out a chocolate cake to bring home. Will that make you feel better? Maybe it's your -?"

"If you bring Juvia's uterus into this, I will not hesitate to castrate you while you sleep and give the jar to Levy-chan," Juvia said seriously, making Gajeel blink at her tone. "This is not Juvia's time of the month that's making her feel this way."

"Jesus Christ," Gajeel sighed before pushing himself off of the car and over to the worktable, where he picked up his favorite gun and shoved it into the holster that was always attached to his pants. "Happy now, squirt? Will you calm down now?"

"After we get the cake."

"What!" Gajeel freaked. "I thought you said you weren't having your time of the month!"

"Yes, but Nii-chan offered to buy Juvia a cake and Juvia wants it," she smiled sweetly to him before picking up her lug wrench. "Very sweet of Nii-chan to spoil his little sister with cake, no?"

"You're an evil little thing, you know that," the studded man growled lowly, watching Juvia drop down to finish with her task of changing her tire. "You would've given Dad a run for his money if he saw you now."

"Daddy would give in quicker than Nii-chan would," Juvia pointed out to him, grinning at the image of her step-father and brother bickering about Metalicana buying the cake Juvia picked out. She remembered how she was little and would politely ask her father for a candy bar for her to share with her brother before dinner, and he would always give in despite Gajeel freaking out that she was ruining her dinner.

"Yeah, probably," Gajeel grunted before snorting a laugh. "Just finish up so we can get outta here and back. We're taking separate cars, I'm guessing?"

"Just incase," Juvia answered, spinning the handle to tighten a bolt.

"Yeah, okay, just incase."

=xxx=

"Ahh! All done in a day's work!" Levy cheered brightly as she ripped her mechanic onesie open, revealing her orange sports bra underneath for the whole garage to see (as it was a normal site for them). Oil smudges and dirtied hands, Levy clapped before looking to her partners and old classmates, Jet and Droy, who were equally dirty from their cleanup. "Good work today, boys. We're making record time here! I think the project will be done before my expected date."

"It was really nice kicking it up a notch, especially when Droy got off his ass for once," Jet chuckled as he used a rag to clean his face.

"Oi," Droy whined before Jet slapped the rag to his face, letting him take his turn in trying to clean up. "Better than you crying over your midterm essay. Levy-chan had to calm you down about, what? Five times?"

"Stop bickering, you two," Levy ordered when the three made it to the opening of the garage, making it easier for Lucy to see them. "You both got class in the morning, right? Get your butts home and get to bed. I kept you two longer than expected and I'm sorry about that, but you can fight on the way home."

"Yes, Levy-chan," both men saluted, making Lucy giggle when Levy had a triumphant pose of her hands on her hips before they marched towards their own ride. Jet and Droy didn't live with Fairy Tail, since they weren't official members of the gang but rather Levy's assistants in the garage; they were both still students at the college Levy used to attend and spend their time here before going home.

Levy spun and skipped towards the bar, where Lucy, Natsu and Gray were being served their drinks for the night by Mirajane. "Miraaa! Can I get a cup of chamomile tea? My muscles are gonna be sore tonight," she perked joyfully as she stole the spot next to Lucy, actually kicking Natsu out of his spot since the blonde was at the corner.

"Hey! I was sitting there, Levy!" Natsu whined like a toddler, stomping his foot on the ground.

"You sound like you had fun today, Levy-chan," Lucy smiled to her friend, resting an elbow on the counter.

"Oh, hell yeah I did," Levy snickered, kicking her feet between Lucy and Gray as she spun around in the stool. "My secret project is coming along beautifully! I can't wait until I'm done with it."

"Then we'll see what you've been hiding under the tarp for the past ten months?" Gray raised a brow to her, watching from the corner of his eye as Natsu sulked his way over to the other side of him to sit on a cold stool. "You nearly skin anyone alive when we go into the shop while you're working on it."

"I only chuck tools at you guys because you're nosey as hell," Levy pouted cutely, grabbing a napkin to try and clean under her fingernails before her drink arrived. "And yeah, I'm nearly just about ready to let you guys see it, but I want it to be running before you can check it out."

"You can always tell me, Levy-chan," Lucy smiled naughtily, making the blue haired mechanic snicker. "Give me some hints and clues to what's going on behind the brick wall?"

"Oi, no fair, Luce!" Natsu cried out, leaning forward to point at his partner. After their job this morning, Lucy and Natsu spent the rest of their day chilling around Fairy Tail and even help Erza remove her car's 'armor' to change it to a new design she was working on. Since there were no races for the night, most of Fairy Tail's members were lounging around and asking the Strauss sisters for refills and snacks. Makarov was working in his little office, but with the door open to keep up with the conversations he was having with the more senior members, Macao, Wakaba and Gildarts with Cana from below.

"Don't go testing us, Lucy," Gray inquired with a snarky smirk as he brought his mug up to his lips. "We have tools and skills to get you talkin'."

"Is that so," Lucy challenged her pal with narrowed eyes. Levy joined in at marking Gray down as he took a long gulp of his beverage.

"Oh yeah, Natsu's gotta know your tickle spots and where it makes you weak at the knees, right?" Gray said casually, making Natsu and Lucy freeze suddenly by his forwardness. Using his thumb to clean up the corner of his lip, Gray chuckled. "I mean, I can practically hear you guys from my room. What are you guys up to in there, huh? You guys trying out for the wrestling team?"

"Fuckin' ice prick!" Natsu shouted before grabbing Gray into a headlock. Lucy didn't miss how her partner's cheeks were red as tomatoes as he hauled them both out of their seats and onto the ground. Gray and Natsu went to their timely brawl, leaving Lucy to look up to a smirking Levy and a surprised Mirajane with the mechanic's cup of tea.

"I-it's not what it sounds like," Lucy stuttered, knowing well that her face was probably just as flushed as Natsu. "Really, get your heads out of the gutter!"

"I never pegged you to be so rough, Lulu-chan," Levy purred as she took her cup of tea and blew across the top. "However, I suppose you're a lady in the streets and a freak in the sheets, no?"

"Oh my!" Mirajane gasped as she fanned herself with both hands. This wasn't turning out right.

"Eat my shoe, Gray!" Natsu ordered, somehow the two positioned themselves to do a german-suplex move, yet it was sideways and completely wrong.

"Eat ass, hothead!" Gray retorted, keeping the same grip on the other.

Erza, from the distance, noticed the two trying to fight from her spot with her husband at his Dodge Charger. Lucy saw the redhead roll her eyes and steal a kiss from her amused husband before beginning to make her way across the polished floor towards the bar, hands on her hips.

"You two idiots!" Erza called to the small group, making the two girls look up and Mirajane wave to her best friend. "What do you think you're -?"

A high pitched screech of tires made Erza stop in her tracks and turn out to the giant opening of the garage. Fairy Tail had four garage doors that could allow two semi-trucks through each and all of the were open to let in the cool breeze from outside and also give a nice skyline view of the city in the distance. They were in the middle of nowhere, really, but the familiar looks of headlights from a car was making their way over.

Frowning, Lucy tilt her head. Every member of Fairy Tail was present (minus Laxus), but the headlights didn't match the color of the man's ride in the shade of green - something Freed and Evergreen did and Laxus was too lazy to switch them back. Silence took over the inside of the garage as heads turned to the outside world and the growing lights. Erza's back straightened a bit more before looking up to Makarov's office, seeing the old man coming out and looking out at the railing of his office with a confused expression.

"Unknown ride, coming in!" Jellal shouted, hopping away from his car and going to his wife. Lucy watched him pull out a gun from behind as he wrapped his free arm around Erza and ushered her to a cluster of the gang's cars. "On alert!"

Natsu and Gray sprang apart from each other as Levy carefully grasped Lucy's shoulder, making them stand and to go a cement pillar right next to the bar as Mirajane ordered Lisanna to remain in the kitchen as Elfman came out with his girlfriend. The platinum blonde woman reached under the bar and pulled out her own firearm as Elfman asked Evergreen to go back with Lisanna and watch other as he pulled out his gun.

Lucy's throat went dry as she watched Natsu and Gray reach into their work boots and yank out their guns, on their knees and readying to shoot at the incoming car as the rest of the members shielded themselves behind cars and other obstacles that were within the garage. Lucy felt a little bit out of place with everyone having a gun, even though Levy was unarmed, the short woman had a ready stance to fight.

Lucy looked up to see Makarov's eyes narrowing to the incoming car, now closer than before and still not easing on the speed. The driving was erratic with some jerks, but it was definitely obvious that it was heading towards the garage.

Levy suddenly perked, eyes widening before putting her voice as loud as she could. "Stand down!"

"What?" Erza snapped at the mechanic as she slipped from the pillar, leaving Lucy dumbfounded.

"Are you _nuts?" _Cana shrieked from her spot beside Freed and Gildarts.

"It's Gajeel's car!"

Levy stood close to the open space in the middle of the four doors, waving her hands high above her head as she paced left and right, as if she was trying to guide the car in easier. Makarov blinked before leaving his perch, coming down the stairs as fast as he could.

The car slammed on the brakes and drifted into the building, screeching on the tiled floor and leaving nasty marks on the polished floor as dust clouds faded into the air. The distance between Levy and the Hellcat were good, showing that the driver was infact in the right mind while driving as the driver's side stood ten feet away from her outstretched arms.

The door was kicked open by the familiar black boot of Gajeel, stumbling out of the car in a complete wreck. His whole right arm was in shreds, bleeding from massive cuts and covered with dirt and blood all over his body and clothes. He was out of breath, one eye closed as he appeared to have a cut on his cheek and a broken nose.

He stumbled to his knees a little bit, but the Phantom Lord member used his good arm to catch himself on the door, making Levy's eyes widen. "Gajeel-kun!" she cried out, running over to close the distance until her lover gave her a hard, deadly stare.

"_Don't!_" he snapped in a deep voice, forcing himself up to try and properly stand. Lucy couldn't tell if his leg was broken by the amount of grime and stains on his jeans, but he looked half ready to fall about. Levy stopped on command, tears already filling her eyes as she watched him grunt in pain.

"I need help," Gajeel panted out gruffly. "Juvia -" a hard intake of breath "She's hurt and needs help. _Please_. Help Juvia!"

Levy tried to say something, but Gajeel already turned and limped into his car, shakingly pulling out a familiar blue haired woman wrapped in his long, black coat. She was awake, but Lucy barely noticed the blank expression as she shook and breathed in hard labor. Blood was streaming from the left corner of her mouth and the left side of her nose - minor scratches and tears into her pale skin peppered up and down her cheek.

Cana followed Makarov to the opening as Gray sprung to his feet with Natsu tailing behind him. Gajeel somewhat slid down to the white floor with his sister's upper body in his arms, not caring for his own injured limb. Lucy came out from her hiding spot and went to Levy, who froze in place at the sight.

"Mira!" Makarov called over his shoulder, getting the said woman's attention in a snap.

She nodded before looking over to Jellal and Erza. "Get me the first aid kit, please!" The redhead nodded before taking off to the nearby wall, where a white cabinet with a red plus sign hung locked. Jellal followed after her to help her open it.

Gajeel stiffened when Cana approached the two and she knelt down to take Juvia from him, nearly on the brink of snapping at the woman until he saw Gray and Natsu in his vision before loosening his hold on the trembling body.

"She's hurt. Help her," Gajeel bit out sorely, letting Cana support under Juvia's shoulders as he slid away from them to give Gray space to reach for the rest of her body sliding out. "Help my sister. She needs help!"

"I got her, Cana," Gray told the brunette firmly as he cradled Juvia's body into his hold and stood up…

That was when they noticed the blood dripping from the coat she was wrapped in.

His eyes widening, Gray spun around and went past Levy and Lucy over to the bar, where Elfman cleared the counter with his arm, spilling drinks and breaking glass for him to carefully lay Juvia on top. Cana hurried over to help Gray, whose hands were shaking beyond control in trying to open the coat, tearing it open to reveal the hidden results.

"_Fuckin' shit_!" Gray shrieked at the sight of Juvia's whole left body was torn and damaged. Glass shards were embedded into her left thigh, causing the mass amount of bleeding and obvious bruising and cuts all over her body. Her whole form was stiff as a bored, lightly shaking from the seizure she was having. Her tank was torn and her whole upper body was wet, eyes blurry and struggling to breathe from her mouth as her head rolled to the side, gagging up a mouthful of blood.

Lucy felt Levy slipped from her hands as she ran over to Gajeel, who forced himself to stand and stare at Natsu, towering over him even though he was off balance and had to use the driver door to keep himself upright. With his good arm, Gajeel grabbed the front of Natsu's shirt and scarf, pulling him close.

"Help her," Gajeel ground out in a dark voice, but the tone was so pleading that it was shocking to hear it from the toughest man himself.

"We will," Natsu nodded to him seriously, his face determined and promising to the other.

"Keep her away from the hospital. Keep. Her. _Safe_."

"She's in good hands with us, Gajeel," Natsu nodded again, taking a step back when the other man released his shirt and gave him space to re-enter his car.

"Gajeel-kun!" Levy shouted, ramming herself into her lover on his uninjured side. "What happened? What happened to _Juvia? What happened to you? _You're bleeding!"

"I gotta get outta here," Gajeel told her, trying to get her off of him. "Don't let anyone know that she's here, you understand?"

"_Gajeel!" _Levy begged, grabbing his face with both hands and turning to force eye contact. Tears slipped from her eyes as Gajeel's own widened at the sight. She bit her lip, trying to contain her sobs as she silently begged to him.

With his good hand, Gajeel gently grasped her wrist before turning his chin to press a kiss to her palm. Nuzzling his face into her hand, he gave her an unsatisfying look of apology. Levy let out a breath of shock, dropping her hands from him.

"I brought her here because I know she would be safe," he told her softly. "She's safer here. Please, if anyone comes looking, keep her hidden. I was never here."

"Gajeel -!"

"It's going to be okay," Gajeel forced out. "Just look after Juvia for me."

Natsu carefully pulled Levy back so that Gajeel could reach for his door. Looking down to the gang boss, Gajeel resumed his serious character. "Don't let Jose know," he demanded bitterly to the old man.

"Understood, Gajeel," Makarov nodded, making Levy's head snap to her boss and choke out a sob before looking back.

Closing the door, Gajeel hit his foot on the gas and sped out of the building, nearly hitting the edge of the garage door he came through. Levy watched in absolute horror at the shrinking image of Gajeel's car fading into the night of the city, dust blinding the view before slowly turning around to look at the occupied bar counter with wide eyes. Tears practically poured down her face as Natsu gave her shoulders a small squeeze before letting her take a few shaking steps.

Gray was cradling Juvia's head for support, staring into her lost face with hard eyes as Mirajane and Cana worked together to cut off Juvia's shorts and tank with scissors provided by Elfman. His thumbs tenderly stroking her clammy cheeks as she shook hard.

"Stay awake, Juvia," he whispered to her carefully, not caring if she could hear him or not. "You're going to be fine."

Erza slammed the first aid kit at Juvia's feet, letting Mirajane hop over and yank out the tools she needed for the moment. "What can I do?"

"Hold her leg up to reduce the blood flow," Mirajane instructed to her friend, who nodded and jumped over the bar. "She's losing too much blood and I need to remove the glass from the wound before stitching it. She's bleeding fast."

"Her pupils are really dilated," Cana said as she hovered over Juvia and Gray for a moment before finishing the task of getting the jeans off.

"She's having a seizure," Mirajane said sternly. "She may pass out soon, but we need to stop the bleeding. Gray, keep tracking her pulse!"

Gray could feel every breath she was taking and how much she was struggling, her head tossing to cough out blood and startling him. He vaguely heard Mirajane and Cana coming up with a flashlight to shine into her mouth, saying that she had a cut on the inside of her cheek. He could feel her blood rushing through her body in a frenzy as she shivered under his hands. She felt really warm to the touch, but was behaving like she was dumped in an ice bath.

His fingers tangling in her wet hair, Gray tried to keep her eyes on him. "It's going to be fine," he told her softly, probably more to himself really.

Juvia's eyes began to roll close, a gurgling sound escaping her lips while the others kept working on moving her body and keeping attention to her wounds. Her head became more heavy in his hold as she went limp on the counter, but her pulse was still strong against his palms.

Lucy felt helpless as she stood frozen in her spot. Tears were escaping from her brown eyes as she noticed other members of the gang scrambling around to get rags and towels, some stitching wire and anything else Mirajane might need. Looking over, Lucy hiccuped at the sight of Natsu approaching her and unspokenly pulled her into his embrace, hiding her head in his warm chest.

"Don't look, Luce," he whispered to her softly, his hand behind her head as he kept her flushed against him. "Just don't look."

"L-Le-Levy…"

"It's okay, just don't look," he told her, lips against her hair as he watched the said mechanic slowly go to Gray's side and forced space for herself to reach Juvia's unconscious head. The dark haired racer offered her the space, and Levy simply rest her head on the counter next to Juvia's and hid her face in her cousin's long, soggy hair to quietly cry.

"Natsu, why don't you take Lucy upstairs," Makarov said quietly beside him, looking down to see the gang boss having his hands behind his back as he watched Mirajane begin pulling out glass shards of all shapes and sizes from Juvia's skin and tossing them in the waste basket before going back. "She's going into shock, son…"

Natsu mutely nodded before whispering into Lucy's ear. When the blonde woman leaned more against her partner for him to lift her legs to wrap around his waist and carry her with such care, the pink haired man looked down to the older one once more.

"Let us know what happens, Gramps," he said before walking over to the elevator after Makarov nodded.

Lucy wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face into his scarf as she cried as hard as she did when she was told her mother had died. Natsu gave her the intense warmth of his hands and gentle voice to lull her into a black void of her consciencess.

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=xxx=

AUTHOR'S ENDING NOTE - I await your Reviews, babehz.


	11. Chapter 11

For the babehz who probably got really mad at me, here you gooo!

Don't forget to Review, Follow, Favorite or do none of the sort, my dear babehz!

=xxx=

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R_i_**d**e '_**e**_m _H_**a**r_**d**_

Chapter Eleven

Levy carefully pulled the comforter up to her cousin's shoulders, letting the blanket rest over the unconscious body of Juvia laying on her side. Mirajane had instructed to keep Juvia on her side with the cuts inside her mouth (the medical student said that Juvia must have bitten the inside of her cheek and swallowed some of her blood that was causing her to throw up whenever she barely woke). Majority of the stitches Juvia received from last night were on her thigh, where the glass shards and chips dug deeply into the skin and caused majority of her blood loss.

Her cousin's cheek had already blossomed a dark bruise that ran under her eye and around the cheekbone, curving down to the tip of her chin. Her shoulder looked to have ink blots until it slipped under the wrap of gauze Mirajane had put on her (the woman said that she felt something odd there, and took wrapping it tightly to stimulate it until she woke up for further examination. The area of her thigh was wrapped tightly, too, with cotton wraps and bandages holding it all together; Levy counted five or more stitches being put into Juvia's legs, and it took forever to make sure that all of the glass had been taken out and cleaned properly before sewing the wound closed.

They had Elfman carry Juvia for Levy, since Gray seemed to be numb at his spot beside the blue haired racer once it was all finished. Levy guided Elfman through her workstation towards her living quarters, a one bedroom apartment with a mattress in one corner and a small living room that had a tiny bathroom attached to it. Levy's place didn't have a kitchen like the other apartments, but she didn't mind the small space since she lived alone. There were no doors beside the entry/exit that led back into her workshop and Fairy Tail's garage.

Cana helped Levy slip on her silk robe she would normally sleep in on her cousin's unconscious body to cover her, being left in her black bra and underwear. When the brunette asked if she needed anything else, Levy mutely shook her head and was left alone. She had stopped crying a little while after Gajeel left the garage, hiding her face in Juvia's hair for a while and feeling her pulse seemed to calm her down a little…

The greatest news that came from the four hours of working to tend her wounds was that Juvia was going to _live_.

Despite Juvia never reacting to the stitching or being handled around worried Levy the most, surely that her cousin would have woken up at anything so painful and rocky. Mirajane briefly told her that Juvia's body just shut down from her seizure, reacting to the trauma that racked her body for so long that she just fell into a deep sleep. If anything, it was probably better to have her pass out so that all her muscles would relax and make it easier to get other difficult shard out of her skin.

Levy scooted closer on her hands and knees to her bed on the floor, Juvia's back facing her so she was off her injured side. Leaning close that her ear barely touched her back, Levy listened to the slow inhale and exhale of Juvia's lungs before closing her sore eyes in relief. As much as she wanted to drop herself ontop of her cousin and cry for another few hours, Levy really wanted nothing more than to have her sleep and recover.

Sitting up, Levy hovered over the still form and carefully brushed her cousin's long, wavy hair away from her closed eyes and off her bruises. She bent down and pressed a tiny kiss to Juvia's little ear, hoping that it didn't hurt her in her sleep.

"Thank God you're going to be okay, Ju-chan," Levy whispered in a cracked voice. She hasn't slept since yesterday, and even now she couldn't bring herself to the idea of going to bed after seeing the two most important people in her life all bloodied and injured. "I love you so much, Juju-chan. Gajeel is gonna be okay, too, since you're fine…"

A quiet knock came from her door, startling the mechanic to turn her head to see Erza standing in her doorway. The redhead was careful in her expression, tender and sympathetic for the younger woman's current state as she spoke in a quiet voice.

"Master Makarov would like to see you in his office, Levy," she said in a soft whisper. "Jellal and Cana will be right here incase she were to wake up."

Levy swallowed and looked back to Juvia's slumbering form, making Erza bite her lip. "Or, if you don't feel like you can leave her right now, I'm sure he'll understand."

"No," Levy sniffed, rubbing the heel of her palm under her eye. Standing up, Levy wobbled her way over and past the redhead. "I trust Jellal and Cana-chan can handle things."

"Ain't a problem, chica," Cana offered a kind smile at her as she walked by, arms crossed and leaning casually in her pajamas and slippers. "We got the old farts still hanging around if we need backup."

Jellal gave an affirming nod when Erza and Levy made their way across the garage, the mechanic ignoring the result of the night as Macao and Wakaba scrubbed the counter and floor as best as they could while Gildarts carried buckets from the kitchen. Erza put a hand on Levy's shoulder for support as she guided her to the stairs that led up to the office, hearing the voices of Makarov and Mirajane conversing quietly until they came through.

Mirajane stood up from her chair to greet the two arrivals with a smile, and Levy noticed a handful of papers in her hands. Makarov nodded to the two and Levy came closer to the second chair in the office and sat down while Erza closed the door behind her, giving the four privacy.

Once Levy settled in her spot and held her hands tightly on her lap, Mirajane cleared her throat before speaking. "I recorded everything that we found on Juvia and how we treated it. I think it would be best to bring Porlyusica into this for a more professional examination. She'll give a better result than me, for sure."

"We can't take Juvia to a hospital," Levy said. "She...I mean, that I know of, she hasn't been to the doctor since we were little kids, and I don't think it's a good idea to take her now."

"We agree," Makarov nodded. "Hospitals and doctors in general are discriminative with gang members, and it would definitely turn out a lot more nasty if we were to bring her out the way she is."

"However, we already called Porlyusica," Mirajane added in, shrugging to Levy. "Since she _is_ my mentor, she does demand that the patient has a background of whatever we can find on her before she can actually check on Juvia."

Porlyusica is an ally to Fairy Tail and more specifically to Makarov. They had a history together before she became a head surgeon and doctor of the city's hospital. An elderly woman with a horrible temper with anything remotely related to gangs and criminal activity, she doesn't go crying to the station or heads if Fairy Tail were to bring in outsiders for medical assistance. But that still doesn't mean that it would be a snap of the fingers to get her help, being an old-school woman she is - she requires files and research of her patients.

"She hasn't found anything in Juvia's name," Mirajane explained to Levy. "We were hoping you could help us out with that."

"I don't know where Juvia was born or where she went for treatment as a child," Levy frowned deeper.

"Well, Porlyusica is in the next city doing a conference, but she says that she can do a blood test with your blood and use it to match with any files on record with the computer," Mirajane smiled. "Kinda like a DNA test, since Juvia is actually blood related to you through your mothers, it is probably easier when it's from a relative since Juvia's blood is probably of no use. I wouldn't want to make her any more uncomfortable in taking more blood when she lost so much.

"It may be really helpful to share names of your family with Porlyusica, for hereditary conditions from Juvia's mother and possibly her father, if we can find any," Mirajane added in. "Any family member names you can think of from your mother's side and any of Juvia's biological father would be very beneficial."

"But...that means I would have to leave the garage, right?"

"For a couple of days at most. Porlyusica needs someone present to help while she multi-tasks during the conference, " Makarov nodded. "Porlyusica may ask a few questions from you too, but probably on your relationship with Juvia and how she behaves. She hates patients who possibly bite."

"We'll be here to watch over Juvia and will call if anything happens," Erza told Levy with a supportive hand to her shoulder. "Mira will be going with you in Makarov's car. It's best to do this as fast as possible so we can get the treatment Juvia may need."

"Has anyone heard about Gajeel yet?" Levy asked urgently.

The old man sighed softly and scratched the back of his head. "Levy, dear, I understand you have a intimate relationship with Gajeel and you're worried about him," he responded while the other two women remained silent. "I understand where you're coming from, but we haven't heard anything from him or from the station. It's as Gajeel requested, he was never here and Juvia is not here as well."

"Why would you follow Gajeel's stupid -! Wait, you knew a-about me a-and G-Gajeel..?" Levy spluttered with reddening cheeks. Only a few trusted individuals knew about her secret relationship with her boyfriend from another gang. Even though Levy was nowhere a wanted criminal or had a warrant for her arrest, no file in her name besides fraud in a horrible situation, Levy was nowhere from the same background as Gajeel.

Makarov shrugged lightly, as if it wasn't all that important. "It's not a big deal to me, really," he claimed casually before looking to her with a raised brow. "As long as you two used protection and be careful around Jose, I don't mind that Gajeel has found a nice girl to get along with."

Levy's face felt on fire. '_H-how could he have known Gajeel-kun and I had… Nevermind!'_

"It's not important, really," Makarov shrugged again. "But, besides that gossip, we truly don't know where Gajeel is right now. I'm not about to pick up the phone and call the station for that either."

Levy's shoulders fell. "You can't ask?"

"We're having...some troubles with the big guys, so to speak," Makarov eyed the older women before looking to Levy. "It appears that there is more to the story than the station is asking us to focus on…"

"What do you mean?" Levy blinked.

"Lets just say, for right now, we're not doing everything by the book," Makarov said simply, making Levy's brows furrow. "It's nothing dangerous as of right now, but for the safety of your boyfriend and cousin, it's best for us to leave them out of our situations."

"You mean we're defying the law right now?"

"No, we're just doing our own investigation on some things that the higher ups aren't taking seriously," Mirajane smiled, as if it was the most normal thing to say. "We're keeping it from the younger members -"

"Like Natsu," Levy interrupted.

The remaining three adults fell silent as Levy looked down to her hands, her fingers knotting together in anxiety as she chewed on her lip for a few minutes. Sighing, the mechanic ran her hands through her messy hair, as if in defeat.

"Only for two days, that's my limit," she said, looking up to Makarov with wet eyes. "I promised Gajeel-kun I'd look after Juju-chan, and I don't wanna be away from her for too long."

Makarov nodded in understanding, holding out his car keys to the platinum blonde woman for her to take. "We'll call if she were to wake up," he promised her.

"We know to keep her rested and drinking lots of water and eat to replenish her body. She's going to need a shower and new wraps anyway," Erza added in when Mirajane and Levy stood up from their seats.

"I should probably call Porlyusica while we're on our way, too," Mirajane perked as she reached into the pocket of her jeans to pull out her cellphone. "She's going to want to know we're on our way so we can get good parking." Her other hand came to guide Levy to the door, where Erza stepped aside and made room for them.

=xxx=

Natsu woke up to a knock on his apartment door. Hearing it from the open door of the bedroom, the racer opened his eyes and looked down to Lucy sleeping like the dead with dry tear streaks on her cheeks; she was wrapped in the blanket and even had Natsu's white scarf tucked around her shoulders as she clung to him throughout the whole time he carried her back to their apartment.

He had given Lucy his scarf, telling her that it will make her feel better and fall asleep, since she was still crying and shaking in his arms. It took a little while for the familiar scent of Natsu on the scarf to lull her to sleep, but he remained awake for a while longer before sleeping upright against the headboard to make sure she was alright.

Hearing Lucy whimper at the second set of knocks on the door, letting her roll off of him and bury her sore face into the pillow nearest to her, Natsu slipped out of bed and took large, silent steps in his bare feet over to the door and opened to find his friend on the other side.

To say Gray looked horrible didn't define what Natsu saw when he opened the door. Black hair an absolute wreck with bags under his bloodshot eyes, Gray looked a bit pale and messy with his shirt unbuttoned and half on his shoulders. Natsu really couldn't blame him, though, after everything that has happened in the past ten hours.

"Hey, man," Natsu greeted quietly, opening the door more to let his friend inside. Natsu noticed how sluggish Gray's walk was as he entered and went straight to the couch. Closing the door and going over to take a seat on the other side, he watched Gray warily. "How are you doing?"

"Couldn't sleep," Gray spoke in an exhausted voice. "How's Lucy holding up?"

"She's okay, I think," Natsu shrugged. "It was hard to get her to sleep for a while, but I think she's okay for now. Probably stay quiet to let her rest."

"M'kay," Gray nodded before leaning back against the couch, staring blankly at the ceiling.

"How's Juvia?" Natsu asked slowly. "Makarov called saying that she was going to be alright."

Gray ran a hand through his hair, pushing his bangs back with a strained look on his face. "Yeah, she just lost a lot of blood and hasn't woken up for anything. Not when Mira was practically sewing her leg or being slumped around like a doll. I thought she was _dead_, Natsu."

"But she's going to be fine," Natsu assured to him. "Juvia is a tough chick, you know that. Probably take a whole army to even slow her down."

A huff escaped Gray's mouth as he lightly yanked on his hair. "I read Mirajane's record," he confessed quietly, keeping his voice down for the sleeping woman in the other room. "Around a dozen of glass chunks were removed from her leg, not counting the small bits, and needed a shit load of stitches to stop the bleeding before being able to close the wound. Mirajane had found dissolving stitches in the kit she has for inside her leg. Juvia's got nasty bruising on her whole left body and a deep cut inside her mouth from some kind of trauma…"

"But she'll be okay, right?" Natsu asked in a supportive tone.

"I don't know," Gray groaned, sliding his hand down his face. "Mira said she can't tell if she has a concussion since she's passed out, but she doesn't have any broken ribs or any signs of internal bleeding that she could make out. She wrapped her arm just incase."

"How long do you think she'll be asleep for? She passed out around a few minutes she was put on the counter," Natsu counted with his fingers. "It's around eight in the morning now, right? So, that was probably five hours ago."

"Mira said she may sleep through the whole day, from the shock and seizure." Gray closed his eyes and exhaled roughly. "They're not letting anyone in Levy's room right now. Jellal and Cana are watching over her and keeping everything quiet."

"Juvia is gonna be fine, though, that's all that matters," Natsu smiled tiredly to him. "When she wakes up, I'm sure she'll be happy to see you once she feels up to moving and talking. It's just gonna take time."

"Yeah."

Natsu looked to his friend and reached up with his bare foot. Lightly nudging Gray's knee like he would usually do to annoy the shit out of him, Natsu smacked the spare pillow and blanket that he would use for the first half of the night (before sleep walking to Lucy's bed). "Why don't ya try sleeping here - or relax a bit. You look like you're gonna faint like those chicks in the soap operas, and I don't wanna have to catch you."

"I can just go back to my place, you know," the dark haired man grumbled, his eyes still closed with his head against the cushion.

"I'm just gonna head back in the bedroom to check on Luce," Natsu told him quietly as he got up from the couch, seeing Gray slowly shutting down. "Let me know if you need anything."

"Mhm," Gray muttered, not moving a muscle as Natsu returned into his bedroom to find familiar, tired brown eyes looking to him.

Natsu tilt his head to angle it with Lucy's laying form, offering her a half smile as he came closer to the bed. "I didn't wake you up, did I?" he asked her in a quiet voice, seeing her blink slowly and inhale a sigh.

"No," she answered, her voice cracked. "Is Gray here?"

"Yeah, I'm letting him crash on the couch. I don't think he wants to be alone right now, but he's not really in the mood to talk."

"Oh," was all she said in return.

Giving a half-smile, Natsu crawled back into bed and settled himself by her side, just as he was when he first woke up. Carefully grabbing her body dressed in one of his sweatshirts and his scarf, he pulled her far enough so that her head was resting in the spot that connected his neck and shoulder, her cheek pressed against his collarbone as he ran his hand through her blonde hair. Reacting to it after a few heartbeats late, Lucy curled herself against him and threw her arm over his torso, sighing tiredly into his skin.

"Juvia is gonna be okay," he told her in a hushed voice, knowing fully well that it was on her mind. "She's a bit banged up, but she's gonna make it. Thought I should tell you when you woke up."

"She is?" Lucy asked as she peeked up to see him nodding. Her eyes becoming wet, a teary smile perked on her face before she cuddled her head back into his warm neck. "That...makes me so happy. I'm glad."

Wrapping his arm around her after he was done playing with her hair, Natsu made himself a bit more comfortable. "I figured you would," he grinned.

"But," her voice went back into a hushed whisper, "what happened? How did Gajeel and Juvia-chan end up like that, Natsu?"

"No idea, but it's best for now to think of the positive. Juvia is gonna be okay - she may get cranky when she wakes up and finds out she's hurt, but she's gonna be living and breathing," he told her, seeing how she wrapped the comforter around herself a bit more tightly. "And I'm sure Gajeel is fine, too. I have never seen him give up for anything, so he'll probably show up soon and want to see Juvia."

Lucy sighed and tried to relax in his arms. His scarf and body really did keep her anxiety and tears down, but it didn't help with her thoughts. "I felt really useless last night. Everyone was doing something to help, and I just stood there like a tree."

"Hm? What are you talking about?" Natsu blinked to her. "It was a sudden situation that none of us were expecting. No one is gonna blame anyone for not jumping in and pretend to be a doctor with Mira like Cana and Erza did. Everyone reacts differently, but it didn't make them any less helpful."

"Still, I should have done -!"

"Now listen, Luce," Natsu grunted with his eyes closed, making her instantly close her mouth. "Levy did something similar to what you did. She didn't go searching for the first aid kit, or try to help with the stitches. She wanted to know what was going on, like everyone was thinking, and she cried. She stayed by her cousin's side and cried while everyone else was running around. Did anyone stop and say anything about it?"

Glancing down to her with one eye open, Natsu directed her head to rest on his chest. His heartbeat loud and soothing against one side of her ear as she listened to his words. "She cried because she cares for Juvia. Levy's not the type to deal with blood and guts, much like you, but she showed emotions that proved that she really cared about Juvia and Gajeel. You cried because you were scared, right?"

"Yeah," Lucy whispered, her eyes filling with tears.

"And you cried when I carried you back here, because you cared for Juvia and wanted to know if she was okay, right?"

"Uh-huh," she sniffled, her face turning into his neck as she clung to him tightly. His arms wrapped around her and it caused her to shudder a sob.

"Then you did do something," Natsu said. "You cared, and that was really important. You're not used to seeing shit like that, I bet, but neither is tons of people in our world. But that's okay, as long as you care, no one is gonna blame you for not doing anything."

"M'kay," Lucy cried softly as she cuddled herself more into his embrace. She felt his head bend and a gentle kiss press to the top of her head, spreading soothing warmth and ease throughout her whole body as she let tears fall from her eyes and stain the pillow and his shirt. Lucy curled herself more when his hands slowly rubbed up and down her clothed back, gently making her let go of her tense muscles as she melted into him.

"You should go back to sleep," he whispered into her ear, a kind of voice that Lucy wouldn't mind hearing every time she needed comfort. "It's still early, and you need more rest. We can check out everyone later."

"But…" Lucy raised her head to look at him, only to stop with a soft breath when he raised his own head and pressed his lips to her forehead.

His mouth was hot on the skin of her forehead, but it sent some kind of remedy that made Lucy slowly calm down once more and return to her place. Resting her head against his heartbeat, Lucy felt him hold her closer to him to the point she thought she would bleed into his body.

"Just go to sleep, Luce. It's gonna be okay," he told her. He gave her another gentle kiss by pulling her bangs out of the way, sending an electric heat through her that made her feel pleasantly numb. "I'll stay right here with you."

And, just like that, Lucy closed her eyes, feeling warm and safe in his arms.

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Erza saw her husband come from the corner of the garage and out of Levy's workshop. His pace sluggish and slightly out of step, he made his way over to the bar to her waiting arms. Erza smiled when he scurried over to her and planted his face right into her chest, groaning outloud as he wrapped his arms around her waist and placed his knees of the footrest of the stool; she rest her cheek on top of his blue hair, snuggling gently as she rubbed her thumbs on his back.

"How are you doing, honey?" she asked softly, planting a kiss to his head when he burrowed his face further into her white tank. "You holding up alright?"

"Yeah, just sore," Jellal mumbled in a similar volume. Tilting his chin up, he looked over to see Lisanna coming out with a tray of cleaned dishes. "Hey, Lisanna, can you get me a cup of coffee, please? I'm about ready to knock out here in a minute."

"No coffee," Erza shook her head, brushing some of his hair off his face. "Have some tea and you can rest for a little bit. I can take over for a while instead."

"Cana's about to drop, too," Jellal sighed. "I said I'd get her breakfast as long as she stayed in the room with Juvia."

"We can trade with Gray, too," Erza suggested. "I'm sure he will want to watch over Juvia for a little bit. He probably fell asleep, I saw him go up a while ago."

"Yeah, it's around noon, isn't it?" Jellal slurred. "I've lost track of time a while back."

"Yeah," Lisanna answered with a polite smile. "I'll get you guys something to eat and give some to Cana, too. How about some chicken potpie? It's what I'm making for everyone tonight, so you can get first dibs."

"Sounds nice," Jellal smile before plopping his face back into his wife's breast, cuddling them until Erza went as red as her own hair. "Hope it's some lovely chicken breasts."

Lisanna giggled when the older woman smacked her husband's head, making him flinch and groan in pain, but didn't ease up in cuddling his wife. "You moron!" Erza squeaked when his hands grabbed her rear and gave it a hearty squeeze. "Keep it in the bedroom!"

"I'm not judging on display of affection," Lisanna smiled somewhat like her sister, keeping herself aloof to the scene as she turned away and headed back towards the kitchen. "Let me get some fruits for you and Cana to eat while the pies bake."

Lisanna readied the tea for Jellal and made an extra cup for Erza as well, taking some fresh fruit of an apple, two pears and a plum from the fridge and setting them on separate dishes for both Jellal and Cana to eat. She knew Cana loved pears and would probably stuff herself at the sight of food being given to her, so she didn't hesitate to put another plum on there for the brunette racer. Coming out of the kitchen, the young woman set the mugs and plate for Jellal and Erza, seeing that Jellal was still keeping up with giving attention to his wife's body, much to Erza's displeasure.

"Thank you, Lisanna," Erza grumbled as she yanked Jellal's blue hair every time he squeezed or purred against her shirt. "Would you like me to take that to Cana?" she asked pointedly to the plate in the other's hand. If Lisanna didn't know any better, she would assume she was trying to get space from Jellal's forwardness.

But, as she was taught by her sister, Lisanna grinned and shook her head. "No, I got it. You and Jellal need some time to yourself!" she giggled as she walked out of the bar and over to the pathway of the workshop. She didn't miss out on Erza's yelp of frustration as she strolled merrily to the familiar brick wall that separated the workshop from the rest of the garage, noticing the elevator opening to reveal Lucy, Natsu and Gray coming out.

Lisanna waved to them, noticing how Lucy appeared to look a bit better and Gray was more stabled. She noticed Lucy wearing one of Natsu's sweatshirts, a few sizes too big, but looking more comfortable with his arm wrapped around her shoulder. Lisanna smiled brighter when Lucy gave a shy smile and a little wave back, all while Natsu was his loud, usual self.

"Oi, Lisanna!" Natsu called out before Gray snapped and smacked the back of his head, prompting Lucy to jump and Lisanna to bit back her laugh when the pink haired racer shook a fist at his friend.

"Try to keep it down, Natsu," Lisanna whispered to them once they got closer. "Juvia is still sleeping, and Nee-san requested we keep it quiet for a while anyway. It's probably best for everyone right now."

"Gray didn't have to hit me, though, the frickin' ice princess," Natsu growled to Gray, who paid no attention as he went past them and over to the bar. Looking to the plate, Natsu tilt his head to his friend. "Is the plate for Juvia?"

"No, it's for Cana," Lisanna smiled. "Why don't you guys help yourself to whatever you like in the kitchen? Mira-nee isn't here to stop you, and I won't tell her as long as you stay out of the chicken pies I'm making for dinner."

Natsu's arm tightened around Lucy with stars sparkling in his eyes. "Ya serious, Lisanna?"

"To a limit, as I'm trusting Lucy will stop you before you empty the whole kitchen," Lisanna winked to the blonde, who smiled lightly at the meaning behind it. "Excuse me, you two, I should get this plate to Cana before she tries eating Levy's pillow, or something."

"Thank you, Lisanna," Lucy said softly as she grasped Natsu's sleeve and began tugging him along, keeping him away from Cana's breakfast.

Lisanna smiled before going back towards the workshop, entering through the opening to notice Jet and Droy's toolboxes on top of the metal table. Blinking, Lisanna looked up to the clock and reminded herself that their college classes got out around this time, and they always made it an effort to hurry here to help Levy. Remembering that her sister left with the head mechanic earlier to go visit her mentor, Lisanna looked around to tell the two men that Levy was not here.

Setting the small plate by the toolboxes, Lisanna turned her heel to begin her search for the two assistance before she heard a small collection of voices coming from Levy's bedroom, her door propped open. Before she could investigate, a large crashing stung her ears and made her take a step back in shock.

Droy rolled out in a scramble from the entryway of Levy's room, wheezing in absolute fear before Jet dropped on top of him with a scream. Jet's nose was bleeding, a little bit twisted from Lisanna's quick observation.

"Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit!" Jet coughed as he climbed over Droy and scooted as far away from the apartment as quick as he could, dragging his larger friend as best as he could by gripping his uniform shirt. "Holy fucking shit!"

"S'not Levy-chan!" Droy cried out before spazzing at the emerging form gripping both edges of the door frame, making Lisanna cover her mouth in shock.

Slumped against her good side against the door, Juvia breathed heavily with one eye open as she stared deadly at Jet and Droy. The robe she had on (Lisanna remembers it being Levy's favorite pajamas) was open in the front, exposing her undergarments, but it seemed to be the last of the blue haired racer's worry. Her left leg completely limp with a small spot of blood forming on the pad, Juvia ignored it as she pushed herself off the door and attempted to one of the mechanic assistance with a stumbling leap.

Since the two men were already on the ground, Juvia was able to snag Droy by the collar of his shirt with her left hand and bring back her right hand in a tight fist. Lisanna gasped at the woman's plan and took that moment to interfere.

"Juvia, stop!" Lisanna shouted as she wrapped her arms under Juvia's breasts and began pulling her back. Lisanna stumbled to the floor and did her best to create distance between Juvia and Levy's boys. "Don't hurt them, Juvia! It's okay!"

"Fuck!" Cana's voice came from behind as she slid next to them. Juvia refused to let go of Droy, dragging him along with an unknown strength every move they pulled her back with. Cana tried as gently as she could to tug Juvia's wrist to let go. "Juvia, come on, babe!"

"What happened?" Lisanna asked hastily, barely hearing Juvia's throat cause a deep rumble, as if she was growling.

"I fell asleep, god damn it!" Cana hissed as she raised her slippered foot up and shoved it into Droy's face, trying to get him away as he sobbed in absolute fear as Jet tried to pull him away. It was literally a tug-of-war. "I fell asleep and I guess these two losers wanted to see Levy!"

"We didn't know, damn it!" Jet shrieked. "Honestly, we thought it was Levy-chan!"

"Oi!" Erza's voice roared as she hurried over to the group. Being in the middle, Erza pried each of Juvia's fingers off of Droy's shirt until the two men fell backwards.

Juvia's hand instantly went back to tighten into a fist, shakingly drawing back to her chest as her whole body shuddered. Her eyes were wide open and grinding her teeth to the point a small trail of blood slipped out the corner of her lips, reopening the cut inside her cheek. Lisanna carefully slipped a hand up to Juvia's sweating forehead and led it to rest against her shoulder, keeping a secure hold around her stomach.

"Calm down, Juvia," Lisanna whispered as gently as she could. Her fingers gently massaging the creases on the other's forehead from tension. "It's okay, it's okay…"

A hard exhale went through her gritted teeth, her body shaking against Lisanna before her eyes shut tightly. Lisanna broke into a sad smile as she held Juvia, feeling the trembling body slowly ease in its shakes. "You remember me, right? It's Lisanna," she said to the woman. "It's Lisanna, Juvia. I'm Mirajane's little sister…"

A gurgled noise emerged from Juvia's lips, as if she was trying to talk, and Lisanna nodded gently and carefully stroked her blue hair. "Yeah, it's okay. No one is gonna hurt you, Juvia."

Cana looked over to the two mechanics still on the floor, her eyes narrowed sharply. "What the fuck did you two do?"

Jet pinched his nose as Droy shuddered in fear. "We thought she was Levy-chan," he groaned. "We thought she was sleeping in, so we wanted to wake her up. I wasn't expecting to get a foot to the face, thank you!"

"You didn't see me in there?" Cana roared, holding a fist at them. "That doesn't ring any bells to not disturb?"

"You...fall asleep anywhere when you're drunk," Droy sobbed in apology.

"_Do I look drunk to you?" _

"It's hard to tell the difference with you anymore!" Jet yelled back before Erza shot all three of them a hard glare. Cana rolled her eyes at the look while Droy and Jet shrunk back in fear. "We didn't know! She looked like Levy from behind!"

Jellal appeared with Gray following at his heels. Juvia kept scrambling in Lisanna's hold as Erza tried to get a hold of Juvia's legs to detain them, speaking in a soft but still serious voice to the woman. Juvia's breathing became shallow as she tried to escape the hold, occasionally coughing.

"Juvia, you need to stop," Erza instructed her calmly. "Jellal, can you get a glass of water?"

"Yeah, sure," Jellal said before disappearing into Levy's apartment, most likely heading to the small bathroom where Levy keeps disposable cups nearby. Gray instead went over to the group of women and sat by Lisanna on his knees, holding his arms out.

"Let me hold her, Lisanna," Gray said, letting the platinum blonde woman hesitantly loosen her hold on her. He was quick to take Juvia into his arms, one holding around her shoulder and hand keeping her head still against his shoulder. The other around her hips, grasping her thigh that wasn't injured, but it made her gasp in pain at the pressure against his stomach.

"Calm down, Juvia," he told her in a low voice, making her head thrash stiffly against his shoulder. "You're getting yourself worked up. It's going to hurt more if you keep fighting and you will pass out."

"N-_NII-CHAN!" _Juvia screamed, her voice cracked and shaky as she tried to claw Gray's arms off of her. "_NII-CHAN!"_

Gray held her tighter, making it difficult for her to move. His face was fairly blank as he let her fight against him until she slowed down, becoming weak in his arms, having a small cough attack as her legs went limp.

"It must have been an adrenaline shock," Lisanna spoke softly over Juvia's panting, carefully taking one of Juvia's hands and checking the pulse on her wrist. "She'll probably be very weak in a minute here. Just be careful with her, Gray."

Cracking her blurry eyes open, tears slipped down her cheeks as she shook her head. "Where's Nii-chan?" she sobbed tiredly. "Where is Juvia? _Nii-chan!_"

Gray let her call for Gajeel for a minute, tiring herself out into another coughing fit. Jellal returned with a cup of water to have Juvia refuse, turning her head away from the offer and trying to curl up and hide away from those present around her. She hid her face into Gray's shoulder, clinging to him as she cried out for her brother. Lisanna gently held Juvia's hand, carefully petting it as she softly hushed Juvia while she cried harder.

Gray's eyes hardened as he looked up. "Someone get Mirajane," he demanded.

"I'll give them a call. I promised Levy I would call when she woke up," Erza explained as she got up from the ground. Looking to Lisanna, Erza got her attention. "Go and tell Master that Juvia is awake, Lisanna. Cana, I want you to ready the showers and bring the first aid kit in there. Extra towels, too."

"Got it," Cana nodded obediently as she helped Lisanna up as well. Looking to Gray still cradling a crying Juvia, the brunette sighed slowly. "Make sure the babe stays awake, got it, Gray? She'll feel better after she gets cleaned up."

The said man made a grunt in reply, looking back down to the crying woman in his arms. Completely spent on trying to fight, Juvia laid limply in Gray's hold, allowing him to fix her pose that she was more comfortable in his arms. She kept crying, hiding her face in his shoulder while he kept her in place on the floor.

"Just calm down, Juvia," he whispered to her, letting her stain his shirt with her tears, her fists held against her chest as she continued to quietly ask for Gajeel.

=xxx=

Lucy was there to help Erza clean Juvia up in the shower and change her bandages (the stitches on her thigh looked a lot better when there wasn't a lot of blood splattered on her skin, but there were still bruises everywhere on her left side). Juvia didn't speak a single word after she calmed down in Gray's arms, and Lucy was worried that she was going to pass out again at how tired and dizzy-looking she appeared to be when Lucy came to tell Gray to help carry her to the locker room in the back of the garage.

The locker room was more for the ladies personal spa on the weekends, but Lucy hasn't had the chance to really test it out until now. Juvia struggled to firmly grasp her undergarments and tried multiple times to take independance in washing herself, but it got to the point where Lucy just took the rag from her carefully and said she was going to help Juvia reach her back, where there was dried blood caked to her pale skin.

Juvia was acting distant with everyone, as if she was becoming more aware of her surroundings the more she forced herself to stay awake. Besides giving everyone the silent treatment, Juvia seemed to trust majority of the gang members but still refused to say anything. Once Erza got ahold of Levy through her cell phone in the locker room, while Lucy sat behind the injured racer and used gentle pressure to the bruises (if Juvia was in any sort of pain, she didn't show it whatsoever), she put her on speaker and approached the two with a small smile.

"Juvia, Levy is on the phone," the redhead woman crouched in front of her in her towel, offering the phone in between them. "She's right here, Levy."

"Ju-chan? You awake?" Levy's voice came through the other end, her voice hopeful and anxious. "Juju-chan, I'm sorry I'm not there right now, but I'm coming back in a couple hours to see you. What happened, Juju-chan?"

Her face was impassive, blinking at the phone before looking away. Lucy stiffened behind Juvia at the sudden cold shoulder, but Erza simply nodded before retracting the phone away. "Juvia doesn't seem to be in the mood to talk right now, Levy. We're cleaning her up right now, but it looks like there was very little blood during the little trouble earlier. You can tell Mira that it stopped."

"On speaker, too, Erza-chan!" Mirajane called out happily. "It's good to know you're awake, Juvia! Please stay awake until we come back so I can check up on you."

Juvia didn't respond to the medical student verbally, but there was an obvious, silent sight as she inhaled and exhaled through her nose. Erza looked to Lucy before smiling and standing up. "I'll be right back, you two. Call if you need me, I'll be right at the lockers," she said before walking off, taking the phone off speaker and bringing it to her ear. "No, don't worry about it, Levy. She appears to be responsive when we speak to her… She just doesn't want to talk about it…"

Lucy swallowed before going back to her small task in removing the dirt from Juvia's ribs. She felt nervous being left with Juvia, in all honesty, after she saw what happened to Jet's face when the two mechanic assistants woke her up. Although, as Lisanna told everyone who heard the commotion, Juvia experienced a adrenaline rush and it wasn't anything to be scared about - Gray held on to Juvia even after she was done calling for Gajeel and carried her by Cana's guide to the locker rooms. Lucy remembered Gray waiting outside the women's entrance with an impatient look on his face.

Mustering up her courage, Lucy watched Juvia reached for another rag from the small bucket and proceeded to clean her uninjured leg in silence. "I'm really glad you're awake, Juvia-chan," Lucy confessed softly to the racer. "I was really scared last night. Natsu tried so many silly tactic to make me calm down… I'm from such a sheltered life of a rich man's daughter, and here I am in a middle of a scary situation."

Juvia slowly eased in her hard scrubbing on her legs, seeming to listen to the blonde's voice. Lucy smiled a little and moved to the next spot on her back. "It's kinda stupid, but Natsu is a really nice guy whenever I start freaking out about something. Even though he's so passive about a lot of stuff I tell him, he's a caring guy."

Juvia strained to look over her shoulder to see Lucy's tinted cheeks. Lucy knew, but she couldn't help it of making small talk with her. "Like, last night, I was crying so hard when he carried me to bed because I had no idea what was going to happen to you," she said. "I knew Mira would help you, for sure, but I was really scared. I haven't cried that hard since my mom died, actually.

"Anyway, Natsu tried the basics, right? He makes these stupid faces to get me to laugh, or told me everything was going to be okay. It didn't work, so he pulls out this hoodie that was obviously too big on me and took off my top - thank God I had a bra on, but I was too freaked out to react to it - and he puts it on me and puts his scarf on me next. He said his scarf was like magic and that it will make me feel better."

Lucy looked down to her hands covered in soap. "He held me then, and then I stopped crying and hyperventilating," she snorted. "I fell asleep shortly after, but it was kinda interesting how a silly scarf and a hug could make me stop crying like that."

Looking up, Lucy peered to Juvia's face. Despite the bruise on her cheekbone and down to her chin, there was no swelling or any damage to how pretty Juvia was. Smiling, Lucy used her wrist to wipe away an invisible tear from her cheek; feeling like she was going to cry, Lucy gulped down the sob.

"I'm just really happy you're okay, Juvia-chan. Really, I was so scared for you," she said, seeing how Juvia turned around halfway on the bench they shared. "I'm not used to this - the gang life, I guess you can call it - so please forgive me for being so childish right now."

Juvia's eyes softened when the blonde shut her eyes and shuddered. Reaching with her bruised hand, Juvia rest her palm on top of the other's hands and offered a tiny squeeze. Lucy bent her head down to hide away from any upcoming tears that may slip, but she froze at the voice of Juvia talking to her in such a soft voice.

"It's a scary world, where Juvia is from," she said, her voice dry but it didn't mask the sincerity in her tone. Lucy's brown eyes shot up to stare at Juvia's neutral gaze. "But Natsu-san will protect you from things like this."

It was obvious that she was gesturing to her own body, looking to her bruised shoulder with a somewhat critical eye. "Forgive Juvia for her attitude right now, but it's the last thing Juvia wants is to scare anyone…or being asked questions."

Lucy blinked, her brows furrowing. "Juvia-chan, what happened?" she asked quietly. "I won't tell anyone if you don't want anyone to know right now, but how did you -?"

"Juvia should have known better," Juvia bit out as she closed her eyes. "Juvia had a feeling, but she wasn't expecting what happened."

"W-what?"

Juvia looked to Lucy, not really angered or sad, but somewhat empty. "Lucy-chan, do you know where Juvia's brother is?"

In response, Lucy exhaled sadly and looked down to their hands. She shook her head slowly. "I'm sorry, Juvia-chan. I wish I knew where he is. I _wish_ I did…"

Juvia's other hand came up and gently rest on top of Lucy's damp hair, as if offering an affectionate stroke in acceptance before she removed herself entirely from the blonde. Lucy accepted it when Juvia scooted a bit away and reached down slowly to the water-filled bucket, dumping it over her head to rinse off the soap from her skin and ring out her long hair. Overcoming with the feeling of uselessness, Lucy shut her eyes tightly as Juvia pushed herself to finish up her bathing and reached for the fresh wraps for her leg and arm.

"Lucy-chan."

Lucy sniffed as she looked up to see Juvia offering her a friendly smile, making her freeze at the sight.

"Natsu-san doesn't take his scarf off for _anyone_, so it means that you're very important to him," Juvia said sweetly, making Lucy's heart clench at her words. "If anything, no matter where you came from, Lucy-chan, you're already becoming a strong woman. Juvia is proud of you."

Lucy exhaled a dry sob as she nodded, accepting Juvia's words as she sat up straight in her towel and composed herself properly. By the time Erza returned into the showering station, Lucy was helping Juvia dress in a large button-up pajama shirt and matching shorts Cana offered in trade of Levy's ruined robe to clean up.

Juvia returned to her quiet behavior as she sat obediently on the bench as the other two women dressed and called for Gray to come in and take her out (thankfully Erza didn't ask Juvia any questions about her condition, and Juvia verbally thanked them for their help). The dark haired man was quick to enter and carefully lift the injured woman back up into his arms and silently left the room and disappeared with Juvia somewhere Lucy didn't know.

Coming out of the locker room all dressed and spacey, Lucy was surprised to see Natsu waiting outside, leaning against the wall. Erza left before her, understanding that Lucy needed a moment to herself before coming out; really, Lucy didn't think that the pink haired man would wait patiently and quietly for her to come out, a smile perking on his cheeky face when he saw her looking at him. Kicking himself off the wall, Natsu met her halfway and tilt his head to her and examined her face.

"How'd it go?" he asked her in a easy voice, making Lucy blink a few times to come back to reality.

Lucy just nodded slowly, taking another step forward until her face pressed against his chest, her arms coming around his waist as she hugged him. Burying her face deeper into his chest, Lucy exhaled and just soaked in as much of his warmth as she could. She felt his own arms curling around her and bringing her even closer to him.

"You okay, Luce?" Natsu asked her, a bit hesitant by her behavior.

"Uh-huh," Lucy nodded again and sighed. "I'm okay."

"You sure? If you're not feeling well, we can just go back to the apartment," he offered. "It's not a problem if you feel like you wanna go back."

"No, I'm okay," Lucy said, a small smile on her lips as she looked up to see his semi-worried face looking at her. Resting her chin against his chest, her smile grew a bit bigger as she remembered what Juvia told her. "I wanna practice my punching, Natsu!"

"You wanna go to the gym?" Natsu's face twisted in absolute confusion by her idea.

"Yeah, why not," she chirped with a grin. "I wanna be able to kick some ass the next time I have to deal with some loser."

"Uh...sure, I guess we can for a little bit. Lisanna said that there is still time until dinner, so we shouldn't overwork too much. Gray's probably not going to join, so that means more for me!" Natsu smirked darkly at his own imagination of getting so much food, Lucy guessed.

Smiling, Lucy got on her toes and pressed a light kiss to the corner of Natsu's mouth. She didn't miss the way he blinked with total confusion and looked at her, her smile not leaving her face as she grabbed his hand with both of her own and started pulling him down the pathway to the elevator.

"Whatever, you nerd," Lucy rolled her eyes. "Just make sure you pay attention so I don't accidentally hit you."

Natsu blinked as he was being pulled, a half-grin stretching on his face as he snorted stubbornly at her claim. "C'mon, Luce. I got a rock-hard body, it's gonna take more than your practice punches to get me writhing in pain."

"We'll see about that. Cana taught me a thing or two about making guys like you fall over in pain."

"Wait, what?"

.

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.

=xxx=

AUTHOR'S ENDING NOTE - Did you know whatever foods are mentioned in any of my written works are the foods I'm craving at that moment? I really love food.

Don't forget to Favorite, Follow, Review or nothing of the above.


	12. Chapter 12

=xxx=

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R_i_**d**e '_**e**_m _H_**a**r_**d**_

Chapter Twelve

To say Porlyusica was a scary old woman didn't even begin to define how many of the Fairy Tail members looked at her as. Many of them questioned why Mirajane would ever want to take her on for mentoring and private teachings for her medical degree, when the station said they would have paid her through medical school. It never made sense, really.

But, then again, Mirajane was always a questionable woman.

Currently, with the old doctor staring intensely to Juvia, who was sitting on the counter with Levy on the stool next to her, it caused a nervous tension with the small crowd watching. As if she was under interrogation, Juvia sat mutely and returned the woman's stare just as venomously while Mirajane came humming and smiling from behind with Porlyusica's to-go medical bag. Many passerby scurried quickly at the thick cloud of bitterness between the two, all while Levy looked between them as Makarov sipped his tea and Lucy watched with her small team of Natsu, Gray and Erza.

Probably not the best place to do a check up with a doctor, out in the open of the garage, even with the large doors closed from the outside world and many of the remaining gang members went up to their living quarters to sleep or hide from Porlyusica specifically.

"So," the old woman croaked with a judgemental narrow of her eyes, "this is the brat who gave me a migraine looking for her file?"

"Yes, this is Juvia," Makaro introduced politely with a smile to the Phantom Lord woman, who just glanced his way before looking back up to the doctor crossing her arms. "She's cousins with Levy here, isn't that right?"

"Ah...yeah," Levy answered warily.

"And she's the one who broke the little snot's nose when we came in?" Porlyusica barked, making Levy, Lucy and the two boys flinch. Juvia, Mirajane, Erza and Makarov, however, didn't move a muscle at the sudden change of tone. "Ya going to try any of that shit on me?"

However, Juvia was nearly as stubborn and fearless when it came to Porlyusica. It was like she didn't notice her threatening behavior set on her, and she was the doctor's target.

"Touch Juvia without permission, then yes," Juvia answered flatly. "Grab my breast like that kid did, and Juvia won't hesitate to respond."

"Wait, Jet touched your boob?" Levy straightened. Lucy noticed Gray stiffening next to her, but she didn't bother to look his way. Juvia's cousin went red in the face, her fist tightening. "What the hell!"

"He seemed to believe Juvia was Levy-chan, and that Levy-chan had something in bed with her while she was sleeping when it was really Juvia and only Juvia," Juvia shrugged with one shoulder, seeming bored about the topic. "Juvia didn't know who they were at the time, and thought they were part of the people who got Juvia this way."

"Little shits," Gray mumbled under his breath, prompting Erza to flick his temple to keep him quiet.

"You know it was a pain in the ass to find anything on you, kid?" Porlyusica huffed, putting her hands on her hips. "Looked up about five different names you could have been under and wasted three hours to get a hit."

"Juvia apologizes," the woman tipped her head to her respectfully, yet her voice was still hard. "Juvia is grateful that you've taken the time to come out here as well and sought after to assist me when I am not with Fairy Tail."

The woman sniffed before looking to Makarov. "You put her up to this? Treating me like I'm some kind of grandma?" she accused the elderly man, who just smiled and shook his head. "Honestly, I question some of you street people and how you can go from being slang-talking slobs to little prince and princesses."

"Actually, if Juvia's brother was here, it would be the opposite," Mirajane sang with amusement as she held out a thick file to her mentor. When Porlyusica took the file and flipped it open, Mirajane giggled. "Juvia is actually an overall respectful and polite girl. She's very responsible and honest."

"Then it will be easy to ask you some questions for your file, before I take proper examination on you," the doctor glanced to Juvia with a raised brow. "Been over a decade since your last check-up, so I wanna get some notes on you before we further."

Juvia's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits, leaning away for the old woman to sigh in annoyance and search for a pen in her lab jacket. "It's not going into the hospital's system. Patients who are in Fairy Tail's care remain in my personal file - not even the FBI can get to it unless they yank it out of my cold, dead hands."

"So you work for the FBI?" Juvia asked in a harsh bite, making Levy look down and Lucy to stiffen.

Apparently Makarov told Juvia very little of the truth of Fairy Tail's origin and operations, making the Phantom Lord racer think to it as a lie until Levy came back and confirmed it to her dearest cousin, along with a thousand apologies from keeping it hidden. After that, Juvia became fairly bitter and mean to the rest of the gang. Lucy thought it was because Juvia trusted everyone here, and suddenly finding out that they worked for the people who try to arrest her and label her as a criminal and dangerous person… However, she didn't seem to treat Levy or Lucy any differently. She was particularly hard with Gray when he tried to carry her out to the bar, being quick to push him away when he remained close and asked if she needed anything.

Lucy figured Gray would be irritated by it, but he seemed to understand where she was coming from.

"Psh, those idiots don't deserve a minute of my attention," the doctor rolled her eyes before jerking her thumb to the gang boss. "No, I'm an old acquaintance of this sorry sap here. Whenever he needs something done, whether it be surgery or stitching up someone in his care, he comes crying to me. Mira is also my student, so someday I don't need to get a voicemail of Makarov begging for help.

"Your file was in the 'missing person' folder, so no one at the hospital is going to notice it gone while it's in my hands. If you're worried about being found or whatever, don't fuss about it," she went on, pulling out a pen. "Now, can we just get to the questions so I can treat you?"

Juvia glanced to Levy for a moment before nodding to the doctor. Mirajane smiled brightly and clapped her hands for Juvia's determination for following her mentor's orders.

"Do you smoke?" Porlyusica asked.

"No."

"Do any drugs, such as smoking blunts, snorting or injecting with needles?"

"No."

Porlyusica raised a brow and looked to Juvia with a surprising look in her eye. "That's interesting. That clean, aren't you?" she sniffed before looking back down to her file, writing out the notes. "Heavy drinker at all?"

"Not often. Mostly around holidays, even then it's not much," Juvia seemed to be thinking hard for giving information to the doctor. It looked to be useful for Porlyusica, who nodded with a soft hum and wrote it down.

"Virgin? Sexually active recently? Contracted anything from intercourse or transmitted diseases? Not sure if you would know, since you haven't been to the doctor in so long," Porlyusica asked next, making Gray slam a fist down on the counter.

"Aren't you suppose to just check her injuries?" Gray snapped before he was hit again by Erza to silence him. Juvia, however, ignored his interruption while Levy whispered for him to shut up.

"Not a virgin, but only did it once. Juvia required protection and a medical examination before it could have been done. That was three or four years ago, but she used a pharmacy-bought kit to check for anything, just incase," she confessed boredly. "The file said he was clean, but Juvia wanted to make sure for safety purposes."

Lucy turned her head and saw how Gray's jaw tightened and his eyes widened in a hard shock. Frowning, Lucy resisted in talking to him and looked back, seeing how Juvia stole a glance to Lucy's way before looking back to look down to Levy's paled expression.

"When did that happen? How?" Levy gasped harshly, her hand tightening over Juvia's good one. "Why did you never tell me about this?"

"Nii-chan and Totomaru were taken hostage from an enemy of Jose a few years back, and Master Jose couldn't come up with the ransom money," Juvia shrugged. "Juvia purposed a trade with the leader for her virginity for their lives. Only Master Jose and Juvia knew about it."

"Who was -?" Gray was about to demand to the blue haired racer before she stopped him.

"The man is _dead_ now - shot by his brother about a month after it happened. It was a one time thing and he prefered virgins in the first place," Juvia snapped back, making Gray lean back by her hard voice with wide eyes. Turning her head back to the doctor, Juvia refused to look back to the small group, her hands gripping Levy's a bit tighter.

"I'll ask for a blood sample, just incase. I doubt there is anything, though, with how you are now," Porlyusica said coolly, looking to see Juvia nod firmly. There was no judgement in the doctor's voice, making Lucy feel that she wasn't all that mean of a person when it came down to personal details like that. After seeing Juvia react so harsh and stiff about the subject, Porlyusica seemed to have a soft spot. "When was your last seizure, Juvia?"

"About a week ago, due to lack of sleep," Juvia answered, her voice bitter. "Juvia didn't sleep more than six hours in the span of three days."

"Yeah, that'll do it. How often do you get them?" the doctor asked next.

"Rarely, a couple of thrice a year, if not less - it depends if Juvia doesn't sleep or gets seriously injured," Juvia answered with a shrug. "Juvia will get dizzy at times, but nothing that seems to make her think it will turn into a seizure. Juvia's body gets warnings beforehand."

"Alright, so you appear to have grown out of the numbers you used to get as a child," Porlyusica nodded. "That's a good sign. You may not need large doses of medication after all." Clicking her pen, Porlyusica closed the file and dropped it on the free stool as she approached Juvia. "I'll check your vitals next. Let me know if it hurts when I touch you - your bruises seem fairly tender."

The outcome of Porlyusica's check up on Juvia was that she did not have a concussion, which was a prime worry for her and the medical student when she first saw the bruises and examined her body. No broken bones were found by physical examination, but Porlyusica suggested that she may have pulled a muscle in her arm from straining too hard and falling into shock. The stitches on her thigh were already healing decently and there was no fear for internal bleeding or the wound to reopen as long as Juvia stayed off her feet for a couple of days.

She prescribed Juvia to sleep, drink lots of water and to eat protein and meat to replenish her blood and energy into her bones. Mirajane was already cooking eggs and ham slices for the guest of Fairy Tail as Makarov asked Gray to take Juvia to her new quarters to rest up.

"She's not staying in my room?" Levy asked as Gray approached Juvia's stiff body. She could practically feel the tension between the two as he lifted Juvia and cradled her carefully before going to the elevator.

"It's best to keep her somewhere it will be quieter for Juvia to rest and relax," Makarov said calmly to the mechanic as he got off his spot on the stool and Levy followed his example. "She'll be staying on the floor where we can keep an eye on her properly. Cana, Lisanna and the other girls offered to take watch over her while she sleeps and make sure she eats her food. It's already evident that Juvia is going to be a bit stubborn after everything we told her today, and it will take a while for her to trust us, I bet."

Levy held her hands to her chest, looking down to the ground. "I think she feels betrayed that we're actually an undercover gang," she confessed. "She's treating Gray different and everyone else. I feel so bad, Master Makarov."

"It will be fine, child," Makarov said. "She let Porlyusica examine her and let the girls clean her up, no? Not all of her trust in us disappeared from finding out."

"No, but still, I bet she's thinking about Gajeel…"

Makarov nodded in understanding. "I understand too, Levy, but it's best to not think of the negative outcomes that might not happen to begin with."

Levy gave a soft hum of agreement, looking up to the elevator doors closing, concealing her cousin and Gray from view as she sighed tiredly.

Inside the small mobile car going up, Juvia remained still and silent in the arms of Gray, who began tapping his foot. The blue haired woman didn't say anything, nor did she cling to Gray as she had her hands on her lap, not clinging to him as she did when she woke up and cried for her step-brother.

She wasn't mad at Gray, nor did she hate Gray. Juvia didn't hate anyone in Fairy Tail, really, but it did come as a shock to her on what they really are. She felt lied to, if she was honest, but she wasn't the one to hold grudges against her close companions and her own flesh and blood for being an undercover operation for so many years. It hurt a little, but Juvia just needed time to figure out how it all worked for them and if she could really trust those she considered her friends now.

Especially when the guy who she has feelings for works for them as well.

"How old were you?" Gray's voice caught her attention, not realizing she was spacing out in the moment.

Juvia didn't need to ask what he meant, keeping her eyes down to her lap as she kept her voice calm and collected. "Sixteen or seventeen. It was a few years ago, so Juvia doesn't remember exactly," she said. "It wasn't something that haunted Juvia, or anything."

He grunted, a low and irritated sound that Juvia knew in her mind that he was not happy with her answer. "She did it for her brother and friend, Gray-sama," she reminded him. "Toto-sensei raised Juvia and Nii-chan, and Nii-chan is Juvia's family."

"Doesn't change the fact that you traded with a criminal to save their lives," Gray bit out through clenched teeth.

"Gray-sama never had to be in Juvia's situation at the time. Not having ransom money or to give up in trade, Juvia did what she had to bring them home."

"Hn."

Juvia closed her eyes, keeping her anger down at his stubborn attitude. "Is it because Gray-sama is pissed because Juvia gave herself up to a stranger? Or is it because Gray-sama sees Juvia as someone who would lie down for a man to save those she cares about?"

"Neither."

Juvia looked up to his hard face looking ahead at the closed elevator doors with daggers. She swallowed thickly and tightened her grip on the borrowed clothes she was wearing at the slightest change of his hold on her, as if bringing her closer to him as the tapping of his foot stopped.

"What pisses me off is that you didn't have your first time in a better situation, like with someone who cares for you and you're happy with. The fact that the man looked to you as a piece of meat and used your body for his own pleasure is what angers me, Juvia. This has nothing to do with you," he said firmly.

"Of course it does," Juvia said. The elevator stopped with a ding and slowly opened its doors, having Gray expertly carry her out as an easy pace. "It has everything to do with Juvia, because Gray-sama is referring to Juvia in the first place."

He didn't say anything, but she could see the difference in his eyes. Her face softened as her fingers untangled from each other and carefully grasped his shirt, her bruised cheek resting against his shoulder.

"Juvia didn't consider it her first time," she told him quietly, her eyes closing. "Juvia considered it a trade, but it had nothing to do with Juvia's well being or how she felt giving up her virginity. Virginity doesn't mean anything to Juvia, so long as her _real_ first time is with someone she loves deeply, and he loves her back. Consider it that Juvia is still waiting."

Gray stopped walking and looked down to her, but that was when Cana decided to come out of an apartment to see the two in the hallway. Perking up at the sight of seeing Juvia with more color in her skin, the brunette hurried over and stopped whatever conversation the two were having.

"Juvia, are you talking now?" she asked brightly and carefully pulled Juvia's head away from Gray's shoulder, pressing a kiss to her clear cheek lightly in a friendly greeting. "I hope so, 'cause I found a bunch of my old clothes I don't wear anymore that you can wear. You look so cute in my pajamas, I couldn't resist finding more stuff for you to look adorable in."

Looking to the racer, who was giving Cana a hard stare, she grinned sweetly to him and pinched his cheek. "Well? What are you waiting for, loser? Bring her right into bed and I'll take things from here."

Juvia smiled just the tiniest bit at Cana's enthusiasm as Gray stiffly followed her to the appointed apartment for Juvia's stay, adjusting her in his hold before walking through the small living room and into the cleaned bedroom with a large bed in the middle of it with a chair in the opposite corner of the nightstand. Cana pulled back the comforter for Gray to gently placed Juvia on the mattress.

The blue haired woman flinch as she lifted her injured leg and forced it to a better position, freaking Cana and Gray out at her twisted expression and sharp breath. However, she seemed to take care of herself and not push the limit as she pulled the blanket up to her lap and exhaled a tired sigh.

Cana grinned before shoving her elbow into Gray's ribs, making him grunt a swear word under his breath. "Gray, you're done here! Go wait for the food for her, will you? I'm gonna have babe here try on the different tops I've picked out for her."

"She needs her rest, you drunktard," Gray snapped as Cana continued to smack him towards the exit of the bedroom, all while Juvia watched with a raised brow. "Cana, you better let her sleep when she says so, you hear me? I'm not gonna hesitate to kick your ass if you -!"

"Bye, Stripper!" Cana sang loudly as she slammed the door in his face, locking the bolt before spinning around and posing herself against the small space of the entrance with her knee against the wall while she leaned her other side on the opposite. A attracting look in her eyes, Cana winked at the blue haired woman who simply blinked.

"Alright, cuteness," Cana purred as she grinned to Juvia, "do you feel up to trying on clothes?"

Juvia blinked once more before looking down to her lap, her cheeks a bit flushed as she fiddled with her thumbs and the blanket covering her lower body. Cana noticed this and softened in her behavior, sliding down the wall somewhat comedically before walking on her knees to the box on the chair beside the bed.

"That's okay," Cana said with much enthusiasm. "You can just look at them and tell me a 'yes' or a 'no'. Shake or nod your head even!"

"It's...too much," Juvia said quietly. Cana stopped to glance to her, tilting her head. "Juvia is not used to...you know, getting clothes from other girls. Juvia feels a little bit bad."

Cana smiled as she turned to the bed and rest her arms on the edge, placing her cheek on her propped hand. "It's okay. You'll be needing some clothes to wear while you're hanging out with us, you know?" she pointed out, trying to meet other woman's eyes. "Until you heal up and get back to being the kickass racer you are, you can borrow my old clothes that don't fit me anymore. I know they'll fit because Levy sometimes borrows my pants, and I can tell you two have the same ass - you'll probably fit into some of my tops."

Juvia's face reddened as she looked to Cana's cheeky face with wide eyes. "Sweetie, I'm a pro when it comes to checking out bodies and figuring out if you can fit in things or not. You and Levy have the same hips and butt, but not the same chest size _obviously. _That's okay with me though."

"You seem very enthusiastic…" Juvia mumbled shyly, her hands coming up to hold her own face. "Even though Juvia knows what Fairy Tail really is now?"

"Doesn't mean jack shit to me, babe," Cana shrugged. Coming up to sit on the edge of the bed, completely calm and gentle to the Phantom Lord woman. "We all come from situations that lead us into something that would make us unable to comprehend our trust in others, but Fairy Tail isn't going to be a place that's going to give you up so easily.

"Makarov said he has known you since you were little, apparently, when he would meet Jose at Phantom Lord for their get-togethers," Cana told her. "He's seen you and your brother grow up and discovered Levy being your cousin, and all that. Old man has been keeping tabs on you two because he cares for both of you."

Juvia swallowed thickly, not saying much as Cana flipped her hair over her shoulder with a smile on her face. "It's okay if you feel like you can't trust us, but believe me when I say that we're here for you and Gajeel. Especially Gray, and us 'kids'. We like you, Juvia."

"Juvia is sorry," she answered quietly.

Cana smiled bigger. "No need to be sorry. We're all sassy chicas who like to show how tough we are when we discover that our friends work for the FBI and all that shit," she waved her hand dismissively. "If it was me in your shoes, I'd probably try to set something on fire."

Juvia gave a short laugh, suddenly stiffening to hold her bruised cheek and excusing herself for startling the brunette. Cana gave a soft smile when Juvia told her it was all okay. "You just rest up. Gray should be getting your breakfast soon, and I want you to eat everything Mira made for you; Porlyusica would have our heads if she discovers you're not eating, then it'll be a real mess!"

=xxx=

"I want to assign two-men teams for each cars from here on out for the races," Makarov said seriously from his spot on top of Mira's counter, where she stood with Erza and Jellal behind with straight backs. "There is no need to use those partners in races if Jason prohibits them, but I want extra safety incase people are to question of Gajeel and Juvia's whereabouts. Whoever attacked them may look for them later on in the races.

"Now, I don't expect everyone to be at the tips of their toes whenever we go outside of the garage here, but if people are attempting to target gangs when they least suspect it, I don't want the station or cops to get involved and risk our reputation," the old man went on when the younger members of the crowd looked to each other with raised brows. "With that said, I want as many people out during the night. Even if you're going out for fun, bring at least two other people with you for safety precautions."

Lucy glanced up to Natsu who watched the gang leader with crossed arms and a serious look in his eyes. He seemed to take in every piece of information in and wrote it out in his mind to remember it thoroughly; he didn't shout his opinion or try to reason against Makarov, which Lucy guessed some of the Fairy Tail members would see Natsu do but it seemed that he was behaving differently.

Seeming to notice her eyes on him, Natsu peeked from the corner of his eye to her before offering her a dorky smile and a wink of his eye, prompting her to go pink in the cheeks and roll her eyes amusingly before going back to pay attention to Makarov's speech. Gray was standing by the elevator doors while Cana joined her father's side during the talk, since Lisanna switched off with the brunette racer to watch over Juvia while she fell asleep.

Juvia was still refusing to talk about the attack that left her body that way, becoming very uncomfortable when Makarov visited her to see how she was doing with Mirajane and Gray. Mirajane briefly mentioned to her leader that some epileptic episodes and aftermath of being in shock can make the victim's memory fuzzy and can't remember all the details without getting a headache or worked up. The Phantom Lord woman kindly apologized to Makarov, knowing that he was only trying to help, but the old man shook his head with a friendly smile and telling her that it was perfectly okay.

"If anyone is to see the Phantom Lord gang at the race tonight, I want you all to either pretend you don't know anything or keep to yourselves," Makarov added in. "And, if you were to see Gajeel Redfox anywhere in the crowds or racing, give the small message that his sister is well and report back to me of his own health."

Levy let a quiet sigh slip through her lips and Lucy leaned her head on the mechanic's shoulder while sitting on the stool. Lucy could tell that her friend was very worried for her lover and cousin, but her choice in not going to the race would have been the best choice she came to; Levy knew herself well enough that she most likely wouldn't be able to handle looking for Gajeel or anyone in the gang and begin asking questions, and also being near Juvia gave her some comfort knowing that someone was safe.

Levy has been there when Juvia eventually came to feeling the soreness begin to spread throughout her body, making it difficult to fall asleep for a while until Lisanna came in with natural sleeping medication. It took only about fifteen minutes before Juvia fell asleep cuddled up to Levy's legs on the edge of the bed, all relaxed and calm in bed. She was a bit harder to deal with when Gray came up with food for her and it took Levy fake crying to get her to eat - even when she said she was 'full', Levy worked to bring on tears to finish the whole plate (apparently Juvia is also not used to eating so much food and Mirajane adored making large portions).

Bringing a hand to lightly pat Lucy's head on her shoulder, Levy gently stroked the soft, blonde hair with a small smile on her face. "I'm okay, Lulu-chan," she whispered softly, feeling Lucy nod her head before rising it up.

"S-Class team will consist of Erza and Jellal, Natsu and Lucy and Laxus and Mirajane," Makarov listed off. Erza and Natsu will take lead while Laxus remains in back for backup with the rest of the team of Macao, Wakaba and Gildarts. Take careful observations of your surroundings and don't take any of the other gangs on. Pose no threat but don't steer clear from everyone."

The huddled group agreed with nods or murmured 'yes' under their breaths, leaving Makarov to nod approvingly and give a thumbs up. "Alright, then," he grinned. "Prepare for going out in the next few hours, you hear? Those staying back please inform me in my office."

Lucy felt Natsu's large, warm hand lightly grasp her smaller one and tug lightly on her fingers. Looking to him, Lucy tilt her head to the side. "I'm gonna check the engine and ready the car, just incase. I'll be by the car if you need me, okay?"

"Okay," Lucy nodded with a small smile, waving to him as he strolled off with Gildarts and the other older men chatting away. Evergreen, Elfman's girlfriend and also a racer, whacked him with her fan when he snuck up behind her and made a barking noise, making Lucy hide her giggle as she turned around to face Levy.

"You do your best tonight, Lulu-chan," Levy smiled to her friend with a perk of her shoulders. "Make sure you and Natsu win another race and kick some ass."

"You sure you'll be fine staying here?" Lucy asked softly, taking the stool next her and propping her chin on her palm.

"Lisanna will be here and so will Gray. Although, we're probably going to hang around Ju-chan incase she wakes up and needs something," Levy shrugged. "Probably watch a movie or two with some snacks."

"That sounds nice, though," Lucy hummed with a nod. "Although it sounds kinda weird having Gray stay behind, you know? He and Natsu always want to go against each other with their cars and they argue before even leaving."

"Yeah, well he has been a butt ever since Porlyusica's check-up and he brought her upstairs. Apparently Cana and Lisanna are keeping him out of the room while Juvia tries to sleep," Levy snickered under her breath. "He was definitely in a pissed off mood before I got down here and was hanging out with Juju-chan, since she had trouble falling asleep."

"I thought she was giving him an attitude earlier…"

"I think they're alright now. Cana is already gossiping how cute Juvia-chan reacts when Gray knocks on the door and demands Cana to unlock it," Levy smirked devilishly. Lucy strained at her friend's enjoyment of whatever was happening between the racer and her cousin, waving her hand infront of Levy's distant stare. "Moron can't hide things from me that easily!"

"L-Levy-chan?"

The mechanic grinned to the blonde cheekily, waving a pointer finger at her. "Now, now. Go help Natsu with his car so you guys can get a good spot in the race, okay? Then, come back and tell me all about it."

Lucy sighed and slowly nodded. "Sometimes I wonder what goes on up inside your head all day, Levy-chan…"

"Mostly engineering equations, Russian chatter my mom and I have over the phone and wrestling on TV," Levy shrugged with a wink before getting up from her spot. Fluffing her baggy shirt with a giant heart in the middle, the blue haired woman stretched her arms high above her head as she walked towards the elevator. "You remember which room Ju-chan is staying in?"

"Yeah," Lucy nodded, spinning in her chair as she walked Levy stroll away with grace.

"Then come on in when the race is over," Levy chirped brightly. "We'll save some snacks for you. If Natsu wants to come over, make sure he shares with you - he's quite a glutton when it comes to food, incase you haven't noticed yet."

Levy used her foot to press the elevator button to have the doors open for her. Walking inside the small mobile cubicle, she caught the last glimpse of everyone readying their cars and tools into trunks or back seats. Cana carrying a six-pack to share with her dad, Macao yelling at Wakaba about smoking in the car after he just had it cleaned; Mirajane watching dutifully as Laxus cursed loudly whine under the hood of his ride, Evergreen ordering Elfman to stop worrying about the materials in her glove box and eventually Lucy jumping on the back of Natsu, who just laughed in response and held her still while he went back digging in his engine (treating Lucy like she was light as a feather).

Closing her eyes and dropping her smile, Levy leaned her back against the cold wall and released a pent up sigh of sadness. Clicking her toes together, the young woman rolled her neck before rubbing her face carefully to lessen the chance of reddening her eyes and look to be nearly on the verge of tears.

God, how much she wish she could go and look for Gajeel!

Thinking back to the last time she saw him, bleeding from his arm and holding Juvia's wrapped body as protective as he normally was, it made Levy's heart twist painfully. She knew for a fact that Gajeel would be fine, but it never left her mind on the negative possibilities of him being caught by the _monsters_ who attacked Juvia and Gajeel; bleeding out from lack of medical assistance or just hiding somewhere cold and unhealthy when he could be in a warm bed with her nestled in his strong arms…

It just makes her crave to the last time they were together like that for her birthday.

_Levy enjoyed feeding Gajeel a chunk of chocolate cherries when she hummed a song and tapped the treat to his pierced chin, watching as his mouth automatically opened for her to slip in inside. He didn't move a single muscle with his eyes closed, chewing on the treat before she watched his throat bob in his swallow._

_Giggling, Levy affectionately nuzzled her nose under his jaw, pressing a light kiss to his skin before resting her cheek on his bare chest. His with hands behind his head and her on top of him with nothing but the thin sheets keeping them from the cold, Levy sighed in pure bliss with pink cheeks._

"_Okay, Shrimp," Gajeel's voice rumbled against her upper body, "how would you rate your birthday present from me?"_

_Whenever Gajeel tells Phantom Lord he was going out for a weekend out (something he did whenever he got sick of being trapped in the city or Jose's rambles about his arrest fines), he would pick up Levy on her own excuse of going to her mother's place somewhere in the city and head to a different one town. The weekends together would usually be them napping in his car, checking out movies or plays going on - and yes, Levy gets Gajeel to dress up - or spend a night at a hotel…_

_For her birthday, however, Gajeel got one of Levy's favorite hotel's most expensive, luxurious rooms, let her order whatever room service she wanted and even reserved a session for her in the spa to get pampered like a queen. Friday was all about spoiling Levy with the employees of the hotel, until night came and the two enjoyed each other many times until they passed out._

_Saturday, Levy's exact birthday, was just them laying spent in bed together. Cuddling, kissing, sleeping or even another round._

_Smiling at the activity they did a long while ago, Levy raised her head and gave him the most adoring gaze in her eyes. "I'd say this is probably one of the best birthday presents I've ever gotten in a long time," she said, watching him smirk and exhale his signature chuckle. Reaching up with both hands, Levy let her fingertips adjust the loose strands of his bangs out of his eyes. "I feel like royalty! How did you even save up for all of this, Gajeel?"_

"_Squirt helped a little bit," he shrugged. "She knew what I was doing so she shared some of her winnings with me to save up in time for your birthday. Mostly work cash, but whatever."_

"_Or you scared the crap out of the owner of the hotel to get this room," Levy grinned, seeing his eyes crack open to look at her with a sparkle in his eyes. She loved teasing him about his appearance, and he most definitely took it as a compliment._

"_Juvia didn't want me to tell ya," he also admitted, reaching his own hand to stroke up and down her naked back. "But she wanted me to tell you 'happy birthday'. She's going to make you a treat next time you visit."_

_Levy hummed at the thought of her cousin's dessert talent, closing her eyes and purring at the feeling of his calloused, warm hand on her bare skin. Resting her cheek back on him, she exhaled and closed her eyes once more, letting her feel every touch of him on her._

"_What'cha thinkin' about?" Gajeel asked after a little while of laying in blissful silence._

"_How amazing my boyfriend is?" Levy smiled. Feeling his hand tap the top of her head, Levy opened her eyes and glanced to see him raising a brow to her, making her swallow a bit before facing him. "Really, this is an amazing birthday gift, Gajeel. I love it...but…"_

"_But?" Gajeel blinked, not seeming cautious about her voice. Levy took that as a good sign._

"_Sometimes...you know, I wish we could do this more often," she said softly, seeing his face scrunch in confusion. "Not like getting a room and ordering expensive food, no! But like, you know, spend more time together and not having to worry about anything."_

_Gajeel processed her words carefully before nodding slowly, his other hand coming from behind his head to join the other in gently stroking her bare back. "Yeah, I get that."_

"_You do?"_

_Gajeel shrugged, not looking into her wide eyes as he situated himself better against the headboard. "If I had all the money in the world, or even just a stable job that pays really good money, I would be able to take care of the squirt and have a house. Then, you could come and stay with me all ya want and we don't have to worry about shit like racing and running for our lives."_

"_Gajeel," Levy half-smiled, "you love racing. You'd never be able to give that up."_

"_No, but with where I am now it will only be a matter of time before some I'd get caught and can't be saved," he told her seriously, noticing any trace of happiness drained from her whole body. He looked to her with narrowed eyes and pinched both of her cheeks. "Oi, don't get so glum 'bout that, got it? I didn't mean it like that."_

_Levy made a small grumbling noise, having him nod to her. "I meant like that without being in Phantom Lord or chased by the cops all the time. Like, I have a normal job and a normal upbringing that I could be a proper man you deserve and a better role model to Juvia and everyone else."_

"_I think you're a good role model," Levy confessed truthfully._

"_Sure. Smuggling drugs, taking jobs that build up my criminal record and fighting all the time makes me a good role model. Hell, I should get a award and the key to the city for being a civilized person," Gajeel snorted._

_Levy smiled warmly and poked his nose affectionately. "You're more than just that, idiot," she told him in a sing-song voice. "You're a strong, protective man who cares so much for those you're close to. You basically raised Ju-chan as best as you could and still care for her to this day - not to mention you're the best boyfriend in the whole world!"_

"_Ya takin' it too far," Gajeel rolled his eyes but didn't hide his snarky grin when Levy crawled up a ways on him and let her head over his face. Letting their noses touch before snickering, Gajeel wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "Thanks for trying, though. Still, it'd be better if we could just have it easy for once."_

"_I know," Levy smiled, kissing his nose. "But still -" another one on his nose " - you're a pretty awesome man in my eyes!" Reaching up to kiss his forehead, Levy peppered kisses up and down her lover's face and spoke in a sweet voice. "You make me happy. I'm probably the luckiest girl in the whole world."_

_Gajeel groaned in annoyance, reaching for the nearest pillow beside them and lightly bat Levy with it, making her squeal into a fit of laughter as she hid her face into his neck. With her trying to steer clear of the attacking pillow, Gajeel snickered evilly and rolled them over so that he was on top of her, pinning her hands above her head and grinning. Levy peeped cutely and looked up to him with bright eyes._

"_Ya know," Gajeel spoke softly, "having you makes me feel pretty lucky too."_

_Levy blinked in confusion, waiting for him to speak more to explain himself. "Like, you see me more than just this tough-guy from the streets and no chick has ever treated me any differently from a chump except you. Ya make me feel like I'm normal."_

"_You are normal, Gajeel," Levy frowned a bit, sneaking a hand from his grasp to carefully touch his cheek._

_He leaned into her palm affectionately, grunting at her response. "You know I can't do this mushy-gushy shit like on TV and all that, but I know I really want to give you everything you deserve, Levy. You just deserve a lot better than this, if that makes sense. I do promise that I'll get there someday...for the both of us."_

_It did make sense to her, and she knew where he was going in this. Smiling, Levy sat up and nuzzled his head with closed eyes. Her arms wrapping around his neck, Levy held Gajeel close to her while he relaxed in her hug, supporting his weight on one arm while the other tangled in her hair; their breathing in sync in their hotel room, away from those active night life of cars and chasing._

"_I'm always willing to wait when it comes to you, Gajeel-kun," Levy whispered into his ear. "Just make sure you stay alive long enough for you to keep your promise."_

Gajeel woke up with a start at the sound of distant noises of car honks, his head slamming the brick wall behind him made him more focused and more sore. Groaning, the muscular man forced himself to stand up, leaning on the wall for support as he checked out his damaged arm.

Using paper towels he got from a bustling dance club somewhere deep in the city, Gajeel had cleaned his arm with simple soap and water until it stopped bleeding. He then took as much paper towels and shoved them into his pockets to use whenever the bleeding started again and left through the back door; remaining unnoticed by the partygoers as he scaled fences and garbage cans to get away from the pursuers.

Having abandoned his own car somewhere on the other side of the city, taking his gun with him, Gajeel still had yet to properly lose the jerks chasing him. When he figured he had hidden well enough in the back alley of a usually-busy shopping district of the city, he decided to rest for a few minutes before looking to see if the coast was clear. He didn't have his phone with him, since it was practically ruined in trying to get Juvia out of harm's way.

Sighing, Gajeel checked his arm, knowing fully well that he would need much better medical treatment and help if he were to make it in the next few hours; he was tired as hell and really couldn't take on any more running and fighting if it came to it.

He definitely couldn't go back to Phantom Lord. It could either risk Totomaru and the two younger ones getting caught with the trouble - if it already hasn't happened! - or possibly get caught by Jose…

In all honesty, Gajeel really doubted Jose would have been the one to bring this to happen to him and Juvia. Jose was an asshole for the most part, but he definitely wasn't the kind to try and murder his own gang members, so it didn't add up with the surprise attack of familiar faces the other night in the designated meeting spot.

Juvia was right as always to say that Jose was too stupid to notice anything weird.

Just remembering what had happened made Gajeel's blood boil, promising to slowly torture each and every one of those faces he has known (much less get away with so much) for way too long for his liking. It got personal really quick when they tried drowning his step-sister and caused her to bleed more than he did.

His own scratches? Yeah, he can handle them for a certain amount of time. But his partner in crime, on the other hand…

If he had his damn cellphone, he would instantly call Levy and ask how Juvia was doing. If she has woken up or needed more than a first aid kit for her injuries, if anyone came to their garage in search for them and if she was alright as well.

It was more important for him to think that the two most important people in his life were safe, and that's all that mattered.

Walking sluggishly from the narrow pathway into the mostly-vacant street, Gajeel looked around to see any familiar cars or headlights that would make him break for it like a frightened cat. Going down the dimly-lit street, he looked around for anything he could use while cradling his sore arm in a tight grip.

"Does anyone use a fuckin' payphone anymore?" he growled in annoyance, looking to a closed coffee shop and the shoe store next to it. "What has happened to the world, goddammit…"

Judging by his internal clock, he guessed that a race would be happening soon, which was probably a good thing. The people chasing him wouldn't risk missing a race if he and Juvia weren't going to be there to beat them, for sure, being those greedy rats that they always were. In the back of his head, he also hoped that maybe some Fairy Tail can kick their ass and make them lose their chance for money (not like he would voice that outloud anytime soon).

A sudden sting from one of the deeper cuts on his arm made him flinch and swear under his breath as he looked to see his fingers gripping his injured arm had blood on the tips. Digging into his pocket, Gajeel tugged out a couple paper towels and pressed it against the bleeding area before continuing on in the lonely street.

Slowly, something caught Gajeel's attention that he took a few steps backwards and turned his head to read the elegant letting of a jewelry store with pictures of diamond rings framing it. Blinking, Gajeel tilt his head as he took a step closer to the window and barely made out the organized rows of rings, necklaces and watched on display and sparkling with all of the money they're worth in payment.

Looking back to his arm, Gajeel thought over the idea at careful as he could. Using the ideas of 'What would Juvia say about this? Will Totomaru have my ass handed to me on a tray?' or even the idea of how much the fine would cost in addition to his already expensive debt to Jose…

Well, that's if Jose finds out about it, right?

Smirking, Gajeel sauntered to the door of the store and peeked inside to notice the red light blinking in the distance of the camera. Looking down on the edge of the doorway, he could see the little green line of light stretching across for security systems and that made it all the more better for him.

Taking a step back to create a good distance, Gajeel snickered with pure amusement. "Well, couldn't hurt to look around and see what could fit Levy, huh?" he grinned as he brought back his leg while balancing himself on the other before swinging it to the glass door of the shop.

Shattering the glass, a faint noise of the alarm going off inside as he reached through the opening and unlocked the door so he could open it rather than cut himself more by going through. Helping himself inside with a whistling tune from his lips, he winked to the security camera mockingly before going to a display case filled with numerous designs of engagement rings and wedding bands arranged neatly.

Scratching his chin, Gajeel snorted with a shake of his head before helping himself to a seat nearby. Looking to the clock hanging on the decorated wall, he counted that it would most likely take five to ten minutes before his new ride arrived.

Too bad he wouldn't be driving it.

Tilting the chair back to rest back against it, Gajeel decided that it would probably be best for his arm and mental stability to patiently wait for the blaring sirens and flashing red and blue lights to come to him. Since this was in the shopping district and a rather small jewelry store, Gajeel knew that this wouldn't make it into the news or cause an uprising panic anywhere it mattered. If anything, he was going to get a place to sleep, a shower maybe and medical attention.

The best part of getting arrested was that none of the attackers would dare to break into a police station to get to him. He would be safe.

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=xxx=

AUTHOR'S ENDING NOTE - A page shorter than usual, but I'm hoping to get more stuff in the next chapter that I felt didn't work for this one. A bit of Gajevy fluff fluff never hurt anyone.

Don't forget to Review, Follow, Favorite or do none. Reviews keep me motivated and happy!


	13. Chapter 13

I have the strongest urge to go to a street race. I haven't been to one in a few years now and my insides are telling me things have changed since I left. -sobs- I miss street racing!

Don't forget to Review, Follow or Favorite! I love you all sooo muuuch!

=xxx=

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R_i_**d**e '_**e**_m _H_**a**r_**d**_

Chapter Thirteen

Lucy felt on top of the world every time Natsu pressed the button on the steering wheel to start up Fire Dragon in the middle of the race. Being cluttered around other cars trying to reach the front lines made her anxious, of course, but Natsu always made it easy as breathing whenever he gave her the heads up and to hold onto something. She couldn't really explain how nice it was being the fastest as they can, just sitting inside a tampered car and dodging people's makeshift weapons and bombs; being inside Natsu's car with him behind the wheel just did some sort of magic on her that told her that everything was going to be okay and the whole world was in their hands.

She took a delight in Natsu's face changing expression from that rare, super-serious look of focusing on his task on driving into that big, dorky and glowing face of pure joy and laughter in placing in the top three ranks. That was probably her favorite part of the whole experience. Seeing her partner just being who he is behind the wheel felt like a secret between them, and it made her heart flutter and lips to break into a cheerful smile when he laughed in victory.

The race Jason had sent out for everyone was done by an anonymous client, purely for amusement, and the payment to the winning driver was far more zeros Natsu has ever seen given out just for one race and no expectations. Those in Fairy Tail who did not partake in the race carefully observed the crowds for any suspicious activity or watchers and would speak privately inside their cars on the same station as the current racers and back to Makarov's office.

So far, everything just seemed like a normal race, as Natsu told Lucy. There was no brawling, no police activity high on their tails when they passed through the night streets of the city. Phantom Lord was not present at the meetup or anywhere in the starting line, making them guess that they were bunking back at their hideout. They also searched for Gajeel too, in the nooks and crannies of the empty factory buildings, alleyways or within the mass of people dancing, drinking and cheering on the race.

Lucy and Natsu placed second in the race, but Erza and Jellal won the prize money and had it handed to them in bricks by Jason into their hands. The third place was a Blue Pegasus racer, Natsu told her, by the name of Ichiya, and didn't come out of his ride as he went back to his small group to head home. It wasn't anything negative about losing, but Ichiya had a habit of wanting to meditate after every race he partakes in the "parfum" of his determination - as he claimed it would be good luck for the next round in the scent of being defeated.

Lucy was incredulous of Natsu's claim, until everyone who was tuned in on the radio agreed with him and began telling ten stories at once that pink haired driver just changed the station to one of Lucy's favorites.

"Enough of those weird-ass stories," Natsu sighed as he spun the wheel to reverse it towards the crowding exit that was overflowing with cars and herds of people. "Can't wait to head back and eat something!"

"Is that all you think about after a race, is eating?" Lucy raised an amused brow to him and seeing him grin. "Don't you wanna come with and see Juvia-chan and Levy-chan? They're suppose to be watching a movie and have snacks."

"We can ask Mira for something to take up there for them, like fruit and drinks. Porlyusica said Juvia needs to eat a lot to heal and also get her blood taken for testing," Natsu suggested with a shrug. "Not too sure how Gray would feel about it, though, bringing food into his apartment like that. He knows I make a mess."

Lucy blinked a few times, processing his words carefully before looking to him with a distraught look on her face. "What do you mean...Gray's apartment," she asked in a low voice. Natsu didn't seem fazed by her sudden change in tone as he shrugged.

"Yeah, Juvia's staying in Gray's apartment instead of Levy's room. Remember when Mira suggested that she stays in a quiet space? Levy's room is basically in the garage, so Gray suggested that Gramps had her moved to his crib once she woke up." Natsu looked to the absolutely shocked blonde, now becoming confused. "What's wrong, Luce?"

"I didn't know she was staying in Gray's place!" Lucy shrieked at him, making Natsu stiffen.

Natsu leaned away from her scrambling in the passenger seat. "Oh, yeah! I don't think I ever showed you where Gray lives! He lives on the floor below us at the end of the hallway opposite of ours; he's neighbors with Cana and Elfman, if I remember correctly. Yeah, and Lisanna lives on that floor too, so I guess it makes it easy for them to switch around in watching Juvia."

"That's not the point! Juvia is living with Gray right now," Lucy fanned herself frantically with red cheeks. "Now it makes sense why Cana is so hard on keeping him out of the bedroom!"

"Whaddya mean?" Natsu blinked. "It's not like Gray is gonna do anything to her. He offered his bedroom for her and he took his own car for sleeping - he's not sleeping in his apartment while she's healing up. Haven't you noticed him napping at all in the garage?"

Lucy shook her head, making Natsu rethink his question a bit. "Now that I think about it, he only _naps _in his car lately. I haven't seen him sleep any longer than a few hours at most, but that's probably because he wants to make sure Juvia's doing okay.

"Besides, what's so bad about Gray and Juvia staying in the same spot? It's not that much different from what we're doing, is it?" Natsu asked her with a shrug. "We even sleep in the same bed now, and we haven't done anything that would be bad."

"You sleepwalk if you're not in the same bed as me, Natsu," she told him with a sigh. Lucy tried her best not to let her cheeks go bright red at his remark of their sleeping arrangements; it really was just them sleeping and cuddling when she's sad or he was fidgety, so nothing there, right? "I'm not saying Gray would do anything bad to Juvia, but...it just seems like Gray just cares for her."

"Of course he does," Natsu grinned. "We all care for Juvia! Gray just cares a little bit more than he would like to admit. He kinda has a stick up his butt for that."

Lucy couldn't help but roll her eyes in amusement at his snarky comment on their friend's personality. Leaning back on the chair and hugging her legs close to her, Lucy thought of something that began tickling her brain. "You don't find it odd?"

"Find what odd?" Natsu blinked, not taking his eyes off the road once they were able to enter the streets on the pathway to the garage.

"Sleeping in the same bed together," she whispered a bit shyly, unable to look at him when he stole a quick glance her way. She knew for a fact that her face was red, so she used one of her hands to fake an itch to her temple.

Natsu's lips twitched a little bit as he kept his smile down. "Nope! I actually like it a lot," he confessed casually, no doubt a hint of his tiny humor to make Lucy go to a brighter shade of red. "Really, not only do I sleep better at night but you're like the best cuddle buddy ever. Don't go cuddling anyone else but me, okay?"

"Oh my God, Natsu!"

They both broke into laughter after that, wiping stray tears from the corners of their eyes and clutching their stomachs. Every time they caught eyes they would snicker and poke fun at each other until they made it back into the garage and parked into their usual spot.

Realizing that they were still a bit early in coming back from the races and Mirajane was nowhere present at the bar, Natsu just shrugged and took hold of Lucy's hand and pulled her to the elevator laughing like the dork he was. Going to the floor, Natsu guided Lucy in a military march to Gray's apartment before knocking on the door rather loudly.

Lucy was able to hear Gray's irritated voice shouting behind the door to knock it off, along with some familiar feminine laughs as the dark haired racer yanked the door open and glared darkly at the two visitors. Dressed in his pajama pants and an old shirt and his shoes, Gray looked pretty ready to make himself comfortable with no interruption.

"What do you want, moron?" Gray directly snapped at Natsu, who remained his grinning self. "Next time you try busting down my door like that, you'll be shitting wood chips for a month."

"We're here to see Juvia and everyone else," Lucy chimed in sweetly, using her free hand to wave in greeting to him. "Can we come in, please?"

"Makin' it sound like this is a club," Gray grumbled in annoyance as he opened the door for the two of them to enter. "Just stay quiet, got it?"

"Yeah yeah, ice prick," Natsu snickered as they entered through the doorway to find the living room area occupied with the TV on with Lisanna and Levy on the couch with Juvia in between them, who was bundled in thick blankets.

Lucy could see how Juvia's face was still badly bruised, but she had much more color to her skin and brightness in her eyes as she watched the screen with a distracted gaze. Being noticed by Lisanna quickly, the two girls waved excitedly before the other two looked up to the newcomers.

"Lulu-chan!" Levy grinned brightly as she hopped on her spot on the couch, making Juvia blink away from the TV to see Lucy and Natsu approaching. The injured racer offered a polite smile in greeting, but made no move to get up like Lisanna and Levy did.

"How did the race go?" Lisanna asked as she hugged Lucy first and made room for Levy to jump onto Lucy for her turn. "We forgot to call Makarov to ask in his office. We're watching an old musical and it's pretty interesting."

"I picked it out - the book was much better," Levy grinned as she let Lucy go and returned to her spot on the couch beside Juvia. "Juju-chan hasn't seen it though, but read the book. I'm waiting for her conclusion on this debate; Lisanna seems set that the musical version is better than the book."

Lisanna made a teasing face to Levy, which the mechanic stuck her tongue out and make Juvia giggle lightly, being careful with her sore face. Lucy shook her head as she let go of Natsu's hand for the white haired woman to pull her to the couch. "We came in second, but Erza and Jellal took first place," she said as Lisanna got her to sit beside Juvia. "We were nearly blocked in this ring that the other racers were trying to do, but Natsu was able to escape in time and chucked a small grenade out. It was an absolute mess until the end!"

Looking to her companion while Lisanna sat on the armrest of the couch, Lucy offered the sweetest smile to Juvia. "How are you feeling, Juvia? I'm sorry I couldn't visit you earlier but I heard you were sleeping, so I didn't want to be a bother."

"Juvia feels fine, thank you for asking," she responded in a soft voice, hugging herself better with the blanket nearly engulfing her.

Levy sniffed and rolled her eyes. "Well, you'd feel better if you ate everything on your plate, Juju-chan," she crossed her arms, slightly scolding her cousin who blanched and shook her head. "Speaking of which, Gray!"

The said racer stopped his conversation/bickering with Natsu and side glanced to the mechanic. "What do you want now, nerd?"

"Go get some fruit or something light for Juju-chan to eat or a flavored water, since you're not even paying attention to the movie. She needs to take in more water and fruit is healthy!" Levy declared with a pointing finger to him. "And some for me, too! Lisanna, you want anything?"

"Oi, I ain't a fuckin' butler!" Gray snapped in annoyance. "This isn't a restaurant or anything, so -!"

"Lisanna, you like strawberries, right?" Natsu asked before looking to the blonde. "Luce, I'll grab ya something too! I can help Gray out with carrying stuff up."

"Don't encourage them to -!" Gray was silenced when Natsu brought him into a headlock and scurrying an unwilling racer out of his own apartment. Natsu closed the door and Lucy watched with confusion as the distant fighting faded out to silence.

"Juvia isn't hungry or thirsty," the blue haired woman protested to her petite cousin with a frown. Lucy smiled warmly at the sight of Levy chiding her to stay quiet. "Juvia doesn't want to be a bother."

"It's not a bother, especially when you're not eating everything we give you for meals!" Levy huffed.

Juvia rolled her eyes and rest against the back of the couch in defeat. "Juvia is not used to eating so much at a time…"

"You'll get used to it eventually, Juvia-chan," Lucy said sweetly. "If it helps with anything, we drove by the Phantom Lord bar and it looks like they're safe from whatever is going on. They weren't at the races, but they had customers in the parking lot and Sue and Boze were on break by the small tree."

Juvia's eyes sparkled as a small smile perked on her lips. She shyly nodded and closed her eyes to reduce the incoming tears as she tucked her nose with the blanket. "Thank you, Lucy-chan. It makes Juvia feel so much better hearing that Toto-sensei and Sue-chan and Boze-kun are safe as of now…"

"Did anyone notice you driving by?" Lisanna asked the blonde worriedly.

"No, but Natsu and I are hoping to try and get ahold of someone from the bar and see if they're really okay," Lucy shook her head, lightly resting her hand on Juvia's lap in comfort when she sniffed and rubbed under her eye. "Things are looking good as of right now, right, Juvia?"

Juvia nodded slowly. "Juvia is still struggling to remember everything, but she's happy that the bar is okay."

Lucy smiled when Juvia curled up slowly on her spot, resting her head on the blonde's shoulder as she dried her eyes. Lucy settled herself comfortably between Juvia and have Lisanna slip on the cushion to share. Levy carefully lifted Juvia's legs over her lap to properly fit all of them on the couch, turning back to the TV and resume watching the musical.

"By the way, Lucy-chan," Juvia peeped softly.

"Mm?" the blonde woman breathed softly at the comfortable, contented position of being with her friends and having a 'normal' night of watching movies. It made Lucy feel like she had actual friends over for a sleepover, minus being where she actually is now. It felt nice.

"Juvia noticed that you and Natsu-san were holding hands pretty comfortably," the blue haired racer said in a somewhat teasing voice, cueing in Levy's snickering and Lisanna's surprised gasp. "Is there something you're hiding from all of us, Lucy-chan?"

Lucy paled in horror.

"You mean both Lisanna and Levy refused to let you sit on the couch?" Natsu snorted a laugh before getting elbowed in the gut by Gray. Ignoring the brutal hit to his abs, the pink haired man laughed hysterically as he teased the other racer in the elevator with a pointing finger and silly tears in his eyes. "Man, can you just imagine you getting whipped around your own apartment like that? Hahaha! You're such a whipped slave!"

"It ain't like that," Gray growled darkly, kicking the laughing man on the shin. "They claim that I would take up too much space on the couch and risk Juvia getting squished and hurting her. Didn't have a problem taking the floor, but then I see Lucy joining my furniture like it was a throne and no one stopped her!"

"You'll get over it, man," Natsu sighed as he wiped his eye, a doofus-looking grin on his face as he forced himself to calm down. "Girls are always like that, ya know? Remember when we were sixteen and we had our asses handed to us when we tried getting into Erza' bachelorette party because Jellal's party was going to a club that required ID?"

"That's because Mira hired a stripper without telling Erza and she didn't want you to slip it to Jellal. Thank all things holy Erza told him eventually, or I wouldn't have been able to handle more of Mira's threats of confidentiality."

"It was freaky seeing Erza cry and Mira laughing in the background," Natsu remembered with a nod. "Anyway, besides that, everything has been fine?"

"Yeah, for the most part," Gray shrugged, running a hand through his hair. "She's been fairly quiet, as you probably already know. She's talking and smiling a bit more, but she won't eat everything during meals and is very sore, even where the bruises aren't on her."

"Probably from being in a seizure," Natsu shrugged. "Porlyusica said something, like the whole body tightens for however long she's conscious and then stops, so it's gotta be pretty sore for her."

"Juvia tries to walk on her own when no one is looking, to the bathroom and stuff," Gray sighed. "I'm thinking of crashing on the couch incase she tries to make a break for it."

"Probably better for your back, too, than sleeping in your car, huh?" Natsu smirked teasingly when Gray gave him the finger. "Ya know Lucy was shocked when she found out that Juvia is staying in your apartment?"

"Ah?" Gray blinked in confusion.

"She probably thinks you two are gonna cuddle and you're gonna kiss all her booboos," Natsu whispered loud enough for him to hear, making his friend go red in the cheeks as his brow twitched in annoyance. "I'm actually impressed that you're pushing yourself to make sure she's alright, man. Kudos to you."

Gray rolled his eyes as the elevator dinged and open the doors to the main floor of the garage. "Not like I missed how cozy you and Lucy were comin' in my place. Yeah, I saw you two having happy faces and holding hands like two kids at recess!" he snorted at Natsu's paling expression as he left the elevator. "Don't tell me you two are gonna go to Make-Out Point and nuzzle your noses together? Natsu and Lucy sittin' in a tree -!"

"Shut up. It ain't like that, you shithead!" Natsu roared as he jumped on Gray's back, fully ready to kick the life out of him for his teasing.

"_No fighting!" _Erza's voice startled the two young men into a straight stand as she glared darkly from her spot by the bar, along with Jellal and Mirajane and Laxus. Majority of the members were back in the bar already while the others are still out. Evergreen and Elfman were helping themselves to drinks in the kitchen while Freed was checking over his female teammate's ride for any damages, having been hit during the small collision caused by Natsu.

With their heads bowed, Natsu and Gray hurried over to the small group of older racers and bowed in apology to Erza. Natsu sighed as he stood up and looked to Mirajane with puppy eyes.

"Hey Mira, can ya get some fruit for us and maybe some water?" he asked. "Levy wants Juvia to try eating or take in more water."

The platinum blonde smiled warmly when Gray nodded in agreement, his head still bowed. "I can make a small mixed bowl. I have some flavored water that may suit Juvia's taste for her to at least drink half the bottle," she said before slipping from her fiance's arms and going behind the counter.

Laxus, eyeing the two, stared at them in confusion. "What did ya mean by _Juvia?"_

"Oh yes, honey! I forgot to tell you," Mirajane giggled cutely as she pulled out a bowl from under the counter. "You remember Juvia Lockser, Gajeel Redfox's sister, yes? She is going to be staying with us for a while to recover from her injuries."

"What the fuck!" Laxus snarled with wide eyes, making everyone else stop to look to him. "Since when did that fuckin' happened?"

"The night you were running errands for Master," Erza told him with furrowed brows. Watching as something sparked in Laxus' face, the redhead tilt her head at him. "What's the big deal? Juvia is no threat to us, if you're worried about that."

"Well, she did hit Jet with her foot," Jellal said, making Erza look at him pointedly for him to clear his throat. "She didn't know where she was or who Jet is, but that's not important."

"How did she get here?" Laxus demanded to Natsu, towering over him with a serious voice that the younger racer rarely heard within the garage.

"Whoa, Laxus, there's no need to be -" Evergreen tried to stop his rising attitude from the bar, leaning against Elfman who was equally confused for the man's health.

"Answer me!" Laxus snapped, grabbing Natsu by his scarf and tugging him closer.

"Gajeel brought her here, saying she needed to be hidden," Natsu shrugged, completely calm while Gray was about to burst. "He didn't tell us what was happening, but Juvia was in bad shape when she came in and Gramps said we'd take care of her for him. He took off after that."

"Shit," Laxus whispered under his breath, dropping Natsu. Standing straight, the blond man cupped his hands around his mouth and practically imitated a megaphone. "Old man! Get your ass down here _right now_!"

Gray and Natsu turned to see the familiar head pop from the opening of his office, a rather incredulous look on his elderly face as he narrowed his eyes at his grandson. "What's got your balls entwined, boy? You know where I am!"

"Why did no one tell me we had a Phantom Lord here in our garage!" Laxus shouted angrily, making Mirajane sigh and whisper for him to stop shouting so loud. "Shouldn't ya have told me first, if you're taking all this shit seriously?"

"Didn't you listen to my announcement before the race, you idiot?" Makarov snapped as he made his way down the stairs. "You're just like your father, you know! Don't listen to anything I have to say and miss all the important shit - it's like talking to a fuckin' rock, boy!"

"Honestly, Laxus-kun, why are you so upset over this?" Mirajane scolded with her hands on her hips, a sign that she was becoming truly irritated with something.

The man snorted angrily as he crossed his arms. "I found Redfox being held on confinement at the police station when I stopped by before coming back." Looking to his woman, Laxus jerked his chin towards her. "You were in the bathroom when I caught sight of him. He looked like absolute shit!"

"What?" Makarov blinked as he got closer to the group.

"Ya heard me, right? I asked what was up with him and they told me he broke into a jewelry store," Laxus explained. "They wouldn't tell me anything in detail, but I guess his arm was badly damaged or something because they were putting stitches on. He wasn't talking or anything like he usually would, from what they were able to tell me."

"Which station?" Makarov asked seriously.

"Other side of the city, near the exit that heads off to the coast," Laxus shrugged. "I was checking in on the stuff you asked me to look at and the chief had something for me to look at."

"Son of a bitch," Makarov groaned and rubbed his hands on his head.

"Should we tell Juvia?" Erza asked with furrowed brows. Seeing Makarov shake his head, the woman frowned at his response and looked to her husband. "Why wouldn't we? She's been worried sick about Gajeel, and Levy, too!"

"We can't cause and suspicion from the FBI, Erza," Makarov reminded her sternly. "If either Juvia or Levy knows where he is, there is no doubt they will try to get out of the garage and go see him."

"Wait, suspicion from the FBI? The hell is going on here?" Natsu frowned and looked to the older racers, who went still for a moment at his presence in the room. "Since when did we hide stuff from them? What's goin' on?"

"Don't worry about it, Natsu!" Makarov and Laxus snapped together at the pink haired man, only then he noticed that his friend wasn't around.

Turning his head to one of the opened garage doors, Natsu found Gray leaning against the doorframe with the familiar glow of his cell phone in his hand. Blinking, Natsu figured it was best to leave him alone, knowing fully well that Gray had a complicated relationship with his cell phone. Looking back to Mirajane scolding both Makarov and Laxus for snapping rudely to Natsu, holding her kitchen knife and waving it under both of their chins, he took a spot beside the counter and waited for the fruit and drinks.

A hand came on his shoulder, prompting him to look up to see Erza offering him a small smile. Leaning down, she whispered softly into his ear, making sure no one but them could hear. "If you want to know, stop by our place while everyone is asleep. Jellal and I will fill you in on whatever we know, alright?"

Sighing, Natsu rest his chin on his upright palm. "Okay…"

Inside his personal bubble, Gray tapped his thumb on the screen of his cell phone in a frantic speed as he dialed the numbers. Checking to make sure no one was nearby him, Gray slipped outside of the building into the cooler air, taking a deep breath as he brought the phone to his ear.

Waiting for the other line to pick up, the dark haired man tapped his foot impatiently on the dirt, kicking up dust as he stared hard at the night sky. A click occurred on the other line, making his back straighten at the background noise of a groan and some swear words.

"The fuckin' time, man…" the voice grumbled in annoyance, obviously woken up from sleep. "Who is it?"

"Oi," was all Gray said before a long moment of silence.

The voice sighed long and deep, making Gray's jaw tighten a bit as he forced himself to remain calm as the other line seem to become more active in the conversation.

"I was wondering when you were gonna call me back, Gray. Your mom has been wanting you to come by for dinner," the voice said quietly.

"Keep that for another day, Dad," Gray grumbled in response, his eyes closing. "We need to talk about something."

"Yeah?" Silver snorted on the other side of the line. "You wake me up when I've just found time to sleep from my day job - out of the blue I might add! - and don't want to talk about how you basically ignore your mother and my calls just to see if you're still alive? That's nice to know right off the bat."

"You have a tough one in your station," Gray ignored his father's retort. "His name is Gajeel Redfox."

Silver was quiet for a second before grunting in response. "Yeah? What do you know about him?"

"Probably a lot more than you do, since he's not talking at all and has a injury on his right arm," Gray shrugged casually, a somewhat snarky grin on his face.

"And I'm going to take a wild, _wild _guess that you have something to do with him getting arrested, boy?" Silver said. "Or does this have something to do entirely different when it comes to Fairy Tail…"

"All I know is that you want the man to talk, right? I have someone who can probably get him to sing like a bird, if you'll do me a favor and keep the higher ups out of our business."

"So it has something to do with Fairy Tail. I get that," Gray heard his father chuckle under his breath. "Sounds like you know his friends, with what you're offering."

"Can you keep the FBI out of it or not, Dad?"

"Boy, I'm the chief of my station. Nothing goes through me to the heads unless I say so," Silver laughed into the phone. "My station is my fortress. They would need to put me in solitary confinement for weeks to get anything through me."

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"_Nii-chan, you need to be careful when you leave your car."_

"_Yeah, yeah," Gajeel groaned in annoyance through the cell communicator installed in the car. Juvia warned him in her mother's language that no doubt made him stiffen in his seat once they pulled into the shipyard parking ramps. _

_The ramps were underground, connecting to the canals that lead to the river that housed ships and delivery cargo in stacks that could touch the sky. The building was small, a two story brick building with a single light in the ramp of the entrance and exit, no single form of life in the rest of the dark parking lot where the coordinates set them to be._

"_The hell is everyone?" Gajeel grumbled in annoyance once he came to a park near the lit entrance. Juvia parked her own vehicle beside his away from the parking lot's exit, looking around for anyone in those fancy suits and shades._

"_Probably inside," Juvia guessed in a cautious tone of voice. "Master Jose didn't mention anything about going inside."_

_Her brother seemed to agree with it and opened his door, making her blink at his casual behavior as he kicked his polished door shut. He made a hand gesture that was familiar to her, telling her to remain inside her car the whole time in case for any emergency. Juvia was grateful that her brother and herself took the time to practice hand signals and codes to figure out what to do or say in situations such as this. It made her feel a bit better that her step-brother was taking it seriously now._

_Though the windows are tinted, Juvia signaled back that she understood and wished him luck. Carefully watching Gajeel approach the door, Juvia saw him click the button on the small, black panel until the door unlocked. Seeing Gajeel slowly disappear around the corner where she couldn't see, Juvia leaned back on her seat and let out a breathy sigh and run her hands over her face._

_Looking to her passenger seat, Juvia eyed her guns and magazines carefully with tired eyes. Peeking through her fingers to the weapons made her stomach turn uneasy as she tried to think of better thoughts. As paranoid she was, Juvia still had no way to shake the feeling of the uncomfortable tickle in her body that just screamed to her that something wasn't right._

_Closing her eyes, Juvia sighed deeply and rubbed her temples. "Just hurry up, Nii-chan. Please, please…" she whispered to herself, tapping her naked foot on the floor of her car. She didn't bother to put on shoes, since she had no intention of leaving her car for anything tonight._

_A weird noise began to stir into her thoughts, making her reopen her eyes and blink herself back to her surroundings. Looking to her brother's car to see if his ride was behaving abnormally in the engine, seeing it perfectly fine with his headlights on and still as it could be._

_Frowning, Juvia looked behind her to see if there was any cars left in the lot, although remembering that the area completely deserted and dark saved for the light from the entrance of the building. "What the hell…"_

_Echoing noises of tires screeching on pavement brought the blue haired woman to snap her head to the left - right outside her driver window - to see the smallest glimpse of a windshield and the front fender reflecting just the littlest bit of light from the lamp. Eyes widening, Juvia scrambled to put her feet on her seat and attempt to crawl and escape through the passenger door as the vehicle came at full speed her way, her mouth opening to scream…_

_The impact plunged right into Juvia's left side, shattering the driver's window and rocked Juvia until her head smacked against the breaking window before falling forward. Her head instantly spun in circles as she exhaled a scream with her arms stretched ahead of her, her face landing on her hard wheel as she coughed in pain._

_Feeling blood begin to build up in her mouth, Juvia's eyes rolled closed as she tried to regulate her breathing from the shock and lean forward to deny any blood falling into the back of her throat. Her whole left side felt like she was being stabbed, throbbing intensely in unison with her pounding head. A hard ring occurred in her ears, her lips beginning to feel numb as she dropped her left hand to her seat, feeling the shattered glass beneath her fingers._

'The airbag...didn't go off…' _Juvia slowly processed, suddenly remembering how she actually removed the bag from the steering wheel when she was connecting wires and gadgets while she tampered with her car. Swearing under her breath, Juvia tried to cover her mouth with her hands to resist the purging she felt building up in the back of her throat._

_A flash of light blinded Juvia, making her wince and shake harder at the sudden disruption to her sense of sight. Her whole body was beginning to react into a seizure, she knew, and she couldn't do anything to stop it with her body reacting to the sudden trauma._

_Fingers tangled into Juvia's hair and yanked her head up and out of her window, making her let out a choked cry from the blood in her mouth. Another hand grabbed her top, peeling her out of her seat and through the sharp edges of the glass remaining in her window, piercing her pale skin and making her let out a gurgled scream of pain. A zipping pain in her left thigh made her shriek and attempt to squirm out of the unknown hold on her body._

_Once Juvia was dropped to the hard ground, she tried to set herself up with her tingling arms and try to adjust her eyesight to see better. A weight came on her back and pushed her back down, making her groan in pain as her nerves began to lose its feeling in her body._

"_Hah, look at her shaking like a newborn lamb!" a voice stung her sensitive ears, almost distant but still hard for her to register._

"_Move off her, you idiot," another ghost voice snapped and the pressure on her back disappeared. "Sounds like a fuckin' dying rat, if you ask me… Lemme at her."_

_Tight yanks on her hair once more, Juvia whimpered another mouthful of blood from her lips and felt it dripping from her nose, making her choke. She tried to grab the hands in her hair and fight back, but her fingers wouldn't work correctly and she couldn't feel her legs anymore as she was being dragged across the ground like a sack of sand. Juvia could swear she felt a pressure on her side, as if being pressed against something short, and an change of smell in the air to something more humid._

"_Take a little dip, darling," the voice cooed to her. "You got something on your face you should wash off."_

_Suddenly she found herself submerged into darkness, unable to breathe at all as she opened her mouth to scream and try to claw for freedom. It felt like forever until she was brought back up, her vision static as she coughed for air._

"_Oi, don't ruin her too much. I want a turn with her when you're done!"_

"_Not like you've ever had fun with a limped body before, dumbass," the voice snapped back. "Just think, if she doesn't breathe anymore you won't have to worry about her fighting back, right?"_

_Juvia felt herself unable to breathe again, her mouth filling with liquid and stung the inside of her cheek. The ringing in her ears grew louder until she realized her body was now taking effect into shutting down, making her start to slow down in her struggle and see red in her vision._

_Faint, soft pops happened somewhere, Juvia could tell just a little bit, and the tightness of her numbing skull disappeared to ache in its wake as she slowly began to sink further into the darkness. Distant shouting, screaming and more popping noises could be heard before the engulfed darkness removed itself completely from her head, making her weakly gurgle out the liquid from her lips with her eyes closed._

"_Juvia! C'mon, open your eyes for me, kid!" a familiar voice Juvia couldn't remember at the moment yelled at her, but it just seemed so far away. She couldn't feel anything. "Fuck! You're bleeding! Come on, Juvia! Say something to me!"_

_She wanted nothing more than to tell the voice that she would be okay. She wanted to cover the voice's mouth and tell it to shut up, but the numbing discomfort and the throbbing in her leg seem to overtake her ability to move or even register where she was. Juvia can't for the life of her remember what was going on, all she knew was that she tired._

"_You're gonna be fine, squirt," the voice told her in a strained tone. "We're gonna get you somewhere safe, okay? Just stay awake?"_

_Was Juvia in danger? She just felt weird, is all._

"_Juvia, try to focus on me, alright? I'm gettin' ya outta here."_

_The blue haired racer couldn't see anything, so what was the point?_

"_Juvia, wake up!"_

The blue haired racer snapped awake, shuddering in fear as she sat up in the soft bed in the darkness of the bedroom. Swallowing dryly, Juvia glanced to the small chair where Cana was curled up with her bottle of Jack Daniels on her lap, sleeping away and grinning in her sleep. Tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, the Phantom Lord woman let out a soft breath and rubbed her face, feeling the small film of sweat on her neck and forehead.

"Nightmare," she told herself in a quiet voice, not disrupting the sleeping woman just a few feet away from her. She has been experiencing small memories of what occurred to her on the night she went out with Gajeel to get the bonus money while she slept, and she always woke up feeling sore and confused of her surroundings.

Porlyusica did blood testing on her and sent a message to Makarov to give to Lisanna to tell Juvia as she remained stuck in her current living space. No sort of STDs, HIVs, abnormality to be detected or any infections in her blood, but was still pressuring Juvia to keep sleeping and eating since her memories were a bit difficult to recall. Really, Juvia was grateful for Fairy Tail's kindness - even though they do work for the cops and FBI, or whatever tries to put her behind bars - but she hasn't really felt herself until she knows what happened to Gajeel and if he was safe or not.

She remembered hearing voices, but she couldn't point them out on who they were. Thinking about it, Juvia could easily recall her step-brother's pleading to stay awake and all that; however, the other voices, the ones who got her the injuries in the first place, remained faceless in her dreams and any time she tried to remember something.

Juvia told Makarov everything she could remember every time he stopped by to visit her and see how she was doing. The older man seemed to understand her irritation to not knowing who attacked her and promised her that she is in good hands of being cared for - which cued in Cana or Lisanna to snicker cheekily and give them the peace sign. When she asked him if they have ever heard anything from her gang, she was told that no such contact has been made to him from Jose; prompting Juvia to guess that Jose was trying to keep his members out of the light until things were figured out, being that they haven't been to the races or even calling to have their usual meeting between leaders.

Laying back down on the soft bed, Juvia rest her sore head on the uninjured side of her body and brushed her fingers against the bruises on her shoulder. They were healing slowly, thankfully, but were very sensitive to the touch. Even the lighted touch from her fingertips made her bit her lip to keep back from a whimper.

Juvia closed her eyes and tried to imagine herself back home at the bar. Being back on her lumpy yet still comfortable bed with all her blankets and the sounds of Gajeel complaining about something; the sounds of drinks and drunk men heard faintly from the floorboards and even the noisy pipes that rattled in the middle of the night.

It felt weird being in this soft bed, but the scent was still pleasant to her little nose as she turned her cheek into the cushion. If she could think like her normal silly-lovestruck-self, Juvia would pretend that it somewhat smelled like Gray's cologne from all the times she stood close to him before races or whenever he visited her at the bar.

Thankfully, Juvia was able to fall back to sleep at her little crazy imagination.

=xxx=

Natsu's hand on Lucy's back carefully rubbed her clothed back to soothe her when she began fidgeting in her sleep. It didn't take long for the blonde woman in his arms to relax and sigh against his shoulder with his ministrations, making him half grin at how easy it was to comfort her whenever she got fussy in her sleep.

He has noticed whenever she was stressed, she would show it in her sleep. Granted, Natsu would sleepwalk to bed with Lucy when he took the couch, but he does recall all the times he woke up to go use the restroom and unconsciously crawl back into bed and snuggle his face into her soft hair.

Not that he would tell Lucy that, of course.

Resting his head back on the pillow, Natsu stared at the ceiling as he recalled the private conversation he had with both Erza and Jellal in their apartment. It was after Gray returned from whatever he was doing outside and took the food and drinks back up to the girls that he excused himself to check on something, hurrying to the married couple's room and knock on the door quietly before being allowed inside by the man with the facial tattoo.

From what he gathered from the conversation behind closed doors, Makarov suspected Acnologia to be in the city or someone in close relation to the notorious gangster that has plagued Natsu's mind for months when he was a kid. For the safety of the gang itself and especially towards the younger members, he recalled, Makarov didn't want to risk any lives of his members incase it happened to be Acnologia in the midst of all this chaos happening in the streets.

Really, Natsu couldn't be mad at the old man or hold it against him. If Natsu was what he used to be years ago, he would most likely end up dead in a ditch or hanging from a hook in an abandoned factory for sure with his intention of looking for the gang master in question for his father. When Erza forced Natsu to think about the reason behind Makarov's intentions, the more he understood and promised to himself and to Erza and Jellal that he wouldn't do anything drastic in sorts of looking for Acnologia and blowing his cover.

Taking a deep breath, Natsu felt how he raised Lucy's body on his chest and gently lowered her when he exhaled. Her soft hands moved from the spot of gripping the blanket she liked wrapping herself in to rest on his chest, making him think that he did something wrong and tilt his chin down to see her brown eyes slowly open and blink a few times.

"Natsu…" Lucy mumbled before sniffling a little.

He offered a small smile to her, his thumb rubbing her spine soothingly. "Didn't mean to wake you, Luce. Sorry about that."

She shook her head. "You didn't. Don't worry about it…" she whispered quietly. "Are you okay? You look like you haven't fallen asleep yet."

"Just after-race rush," Natsu shrugged casually. He didn't like lying to her about his real reason of being awake, but he didn't want to have to explain everything to her about Acnologia and what could possibly happen in the future.

"Do you need me to do anything?" she asked worriedly and Natsu could swear that his heart did something different at her concerned gaze on him. Even if she's tired, Lucy made it a goal to make sure he was okay…

"Just keep doing what you're doin' now," Natsu grinned. "Your cuddles are like magic. I'm feeling better already."

He watched her brown eyes sparkle and her cheeks go a bit pink as she quietly called him a dork, which made him more relaxed than before. It was when she leaned forward and pressed a sleepy kiss to his cheek that he held perfectly still and she found herself on a more comfortable spot on top of his, resting her head where his heartbeat lulled her back to sleep. A contented sigh escaping her lips, Natsu waited for another minute to make sure she was back asleep before wrapping his arms more securely around her body.

As far as he could remember, Natsu recalled all the times when he was just a kid and would share a bed with his friends - usually Lisanna, Cana or even Erza, since Elfman took up too much space on the couch or Gray felt more comfortable elsewhere to sleep - and never had he experienced these weird feelings going on inside him. Sure, he had cuddled girls before and would even spend a few hours at a club or a stripping establishment with the boys of the gang for fun, but never was he really...attracted to any women?

Natsu saw all of the girls in Fairy Tail as his sisters in some way, thinking of the gang as one big family he could look to for support. However, with the slumbering blonde in his arms, it felt completely different than what he was used to. He felt protective (not like he wasn't protective of all of the other girls in Fairy Tail, of course not), but he felt like he had the responsibility to make sure that Lucy was safe no matter what, that no one ever tried to hurt her or have her shed any tears infront of him. If anything, Natsu thought the world seemed brighter every time she smiled or laughed, even scolding him for his stupid behavior would make him feel a lot better than before.

Thinking over again of the deal with Acnologia being in the city, Natsu felt like he had to do whatever it took to make sure the sleeping woman in his arms was safe. Really, Natsu knew he wouldn't hesitate to take a bullet for Lucy if he had the option on who got to live, and it confused him greatly as to why he felt like he needed to do so with _just_ Lucy.

Ever since he picked her up from the corner the night on his way to the race, Natsu felt something that made him feel like he and the blonde runaway were connected in some way. Like Lucy was the other half of Natsu that he could never be in directions and thinking things through to lessen the chance of destroying something; Hell, Natsu began winning races left and right when Lucy was by his side and accomplished more jobs and tasks a lot better and more efficiently when Lucy was with him.

Even sleeping in the same bed with her now, Natsu feels like he has no worry in the world while she slept soundly in his hold.

Feeling his cheeks grow hot a little, Natsu recalled the small teasing Makarov and Gray have been giving him in regards to his partner and roommate. He has even noticed Levy and Erza keeping a close eye on him every time he's next to the blonde woman or bring up their living conditions at the most random times. For the most part, Natsu didn't think twice about it and shrugged it off as both him and Lucy just being tight-knit partners.

But now it just seems different.

Lucy has changed to be more open and relaxed around Natsu and his crazy antics of being wild, never hesitating to put in her two cents when he really fucked something up; he was in love with her cooking and never hesitated to reach for her hand or try and hug her or even hold her close - which has become natural as breathing to him at this point. If he were to really think deeper, Natsu enjoyed Lucy living with him and sometimes dressed in his clothes for pajamas. He liked it when he tells Lucy he's going to take her shopping or go out on a job and make sure she had her taser attached to her pants: or even when they would race and dedicate both of their energy into Fire Dragon together and create a massive crowd of cheers chanting '_Salamander! Salamander!' _for the performance both of them knew.

Granted, where Lucy was from of being sheltered by her father and controlled for the most stupidest things ever, she had grown immensely into a much more confident and strong woman that Natsu has ever met. She maintained her kindness and soft personality, but she has definitely grown a backbone in taking risks and facing problems when needed. Not to mention that she gets prettier every time Natsu just as so much as look at her.

Closing his eyes, Natsu came to realization that he was fucked.

Getting himself more comfortable, the pink haired man came to the conclusion that he didn't care about how fucked he was. If anything, he was more than happy to have an attraction and feelings for Lucy and wouldn't really wanted it in any other way.

Tilting his chin down to the sleeping head nuzzled into the crook of his neck, Natsu pressed a long, thoughtful kiss to Lucy's forehead and another short one to the crown of her head. When he felt her sigh blissfully in her sleep, he couldn't resist the grin on his face as he relaxed in his spot and looked back to the ceiling with a content gleam in his eye.

'_If only Dad can see me now. He'd give me tons of shit about it…' _he thought with a mute snicker at the idea of his father seeing his own son being so soft and gentle with a fragile-looking woman such as Lucy.

The thought of his father also brought back the issue at hand. Acnologia, or whoever is causing this mess among everyone, is posing as a threat among Fairy Tail and Natsu could nearly taste the upcoming stress and fighting coming soon to their doorstep. It won't be long until the heads get ahold of what's going on and will take in their own actions and interfere with Fairy Tail's operation, if not endanger everyone involved with them, counting Lucy and the Phantom Lord members who have grown close to Natsu personally as good friends and allies.

Closing his eyes, Natsu told himself that nothing was going to happen to any of his friends, his family or even to Lucy. No matter what was going to get thrown in their faces in the upcoming battle and possible danger that could risk lives or hurt those he cared about most, Fairy Tail will endure the hardships and do whatever it takes to remain standing in the end.

Fairy Tail, although a secretive operation, was still a gang and they will not go down without a fight. That very motive was etched into each brain and brawn of every man and woman to take head on ever since they've received their insignia tattoo of their gang's symbol.

Even though Lucy didn't have her own yet, let alone a streetname to raise her reputation, Natsu wouldn't doubt that she would give it her all when it comes to it.

Resting his cheek to the top of her soft hair, Natsu vowed to himself that he would be there for Lucy, unlike the man who was suppose to be her father. No, in no way would he would leave Lucy alone in fear or let any harm to come to her.

Not while he's alive, Natsu won't let any harm come to the woman who has his heart in the palm of her hands.

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=xxx=

AUTHOR'S ENDING NOTE - Someone kill me and bury me in a coffin made out of warm muffins. Things are about to get seriously serious shit and I'm probably gonna die.

Don't forget to Review, Follow or Favorite! Hearing from you always makes me motivated!


	14. Chapter 14

…-coughs and dumps chapter-

Remember to Review, Follow, Favorite or whatever, babehz! I love you a bunch and hope you will enjoy the update!

=xxx=

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R_i_**d**e '_**e**_m _H_**a**r_**d**_

Chapter Fourteen

"What did you _do_?"

"Look, it's nothing serious, okay? I just figured - _Ow_, goddammit, Gramps! I didn't do shit!"

"_Like hell you didn't do anything_!"

Natsu leaned away from Makarov chucking his working boot at Gray, who stood beside him while the familiar face of Silver was leaned against the door of the old man's office with crossed arms. Unlike the usual attire Natsu would see Silver dressed in the daytime, his police uniform and shining badge and cap; he was decorated like an average man who would work in a normal garage in the city, a white t-shirt, worn out jeans and black shoes with steel toes. He had his hair pushed back to reveal a scar be obtained so many years ago and his 'lucky charm' earring dangling from one of his earlobes of a cross.

To Natsu, who has known Gray and his family for many years at this point, he didn't look like he was on police duty. That didn't seem to help though, with Makarov trying to throw a stapler at the son and Silver didn't move to protect his kid - which Natsu can't really blame him, since Gray probably did deserve it.

It wasn't something Natsu was expecting in his normal day at the Fairy Tail garage.

Until Makarov eventually ran out of inexpensive items to throw at the dark haired racer, scratching his mustache furiously and plopping down on his seat. "Swear to God, you never listen to me. When I have specifically said to keep it in the garage, I _fucking mean to keep it in the garage! _You're lucky that I get along with your father, Gray!"

"The feeling is mutual, Makarov," Silver drawled slowly, sparing a glance to his son straightening up from his hunched position. "If I knew that Makarov had a sworn-to-secrecy policy goin' on right now, I'd be more than happy to take you outside for an ass whooping."

"I can take ya on," Gray sniffed under his breath and rolled his eyes. "S'not important anymore, right? You wanted to know where Gajeel was? Well, I found someone who has eyes and ears inside," he jerked his thumb to his father before looking to him with a sharpened glare. "And you want the man to talk? I got what can make him chat like Natsu after two tequila bottles. Think of it as a win-win deal!"

"Natsu has more brain cells than you do, son!" Makarov snapped, slapping a hand to the desk, making Natsu blink at the comparison.

"Hey, Gramps," Natsu stepped in casually when he noted that the old man couldn't throw anything else in frustration, "you know we can trust Silver, right? It's not like he's going to tattle on the big guys about us. He's off the clock!"

Makarov looked to Silver, who snorted a laugh and shrugged his shoulders. "The possible chance of being promoted to wear a tux all day? Sorry, but Mika was the only one to get me to wear a suit and tie on our wedding day and sworn off from putting on those constricting traps ever again," Silver said. "You know how quick I was to rip off the jacket at the reception, remember, Makarov?"

"Reminds me that you two are related and your habits of stripping off clothes," Makarov huffed before rubbing his forehead. "Seriously, Silver. It's not like I don't trust you, but this is really confidential business within my streets; I don't want to have your men in the streets get involved."

"Then consider it as such, sir," Silver smirked. "Since I have gotten my hands on the whole unit, nothing goes by me without my input if it goes to my guys. Not even the hot gossip of whatever the big shots send me see light of day if I feel like it.

"Besides, I got a feeling that this has something else to do with my son's stupidity in the matter," he went on, ignoring how Gray stiffened and snapped at him. "It's not a thing for him to call _my cell _at ungodly hours with a proposal for a man held up in my cells. Somethin' I'm missing?"

"Probably the fact that Juvias' here," Natsu blurted out. He flinched at Gray's sudden smack behind his head, rubbing the area with a sigh as Makarov rolled his eyes. Silver, however, looked impassive about this.

"What's here?" Silver raised a brow and tilt his head in curiosity. "Is that the kid's stash or something?"

Makarov sighed and rest his elbows on his desk. "Juvia is the name of his sister."

Silver blinked, now in confusion. "Never seen a record saying he has a sister… Name doesn't sound familiar either, and I know there wasn't any female hits when we looked him up when he checked in."

"Probably because they're not blood-related," Makarov explained. "No, Juvia is technically his step-sister, but I don't think she has ever been cuffed to the point she has a criminal record - she's a bit cleaner than Gajeel when it comes to not getting caught, but I'm sure Gajeel had a part in that too."

"Weird I haven't heard of her."

"Besides that," Gray butt in rather rudely, "Gajeel dropped her off before he disappeared into the city. She was injured and needed medical attention, but she's fine and I'm sure your new inmate would like to know she's alright."

"That ain't all I'm here for?" Silver taunted his son.

Natsu took a turn, guessing his friend's plan from the subtle hints here and there. "Juvia can probably get Gajeel to dish out what happened, and maybe some other details that can have something to do with Acnologia, right?"

"It's a shot," Gray shrugged. "The problem is that Juvia doesn't know about any of this; where Gajeel is or probably about Acnologia."

"If she does, it won't be recorded in my unit, Makarov," Silver pointed out to Makarov as a reminder. "Seriously, we can discuss this later but I'm more curious now on this Juvia girl you got stashed away."

"I warn that Juvia is a bit...stubborn, like Gajeel," Makarov struggled to find the proper word to define how the blue haired woman may react to a policeman in her presence. "She may as well refuse to speak to you."

"We all know I have a way with the ladies," Silver chuckled, some pride in his voice and Gray groaned as Makarov half-smiled warily.

"Juvia isn't just a lady, Silver…"

Lucy was in Gray's apartment with Cana and Juvia in the living room area. She was currently watching Cana help Juvia bend forward on the floor, slowly pushing her back against the other to have Juvia's chest touch the floor with her long legs sticking out in a wide 'V'-shape. Since Juvia was showing signs of becoming fidgety from lack of mobility, Mirajane suggested that the patient/guest did some yoga poses to work her sore muscles; granted of the stitches still on her left leg and visible bruises on her otherwise porcelain skin, Juvia has shown no sign of pain or discomfort of stretching and bending at nearly impossible angles Lucy has ever seen.

"Can you pull Juvia's arms back as well, please?" the Phantom woman asked the brunette, who nodded and carefully held Juvia's back stretched hands and raised them just the littlest bit. "Thank you."

"Hard to believe how flexible you are, babe!" Cana praised cheekily with an exhale, feeling a bit of a strain of hunching over and posed oddly. "And this doesn't hurt at all?"

"With the bruises, Juvia is a bit sore," she replied simply. "But Juvia has been practicing being flexible and some fighting styles since she was a child, so I must be used to it."

"When you feel better, I wanna see how you would go against my boxing skills," Cana snickered and Lucy saw how Juvia's eyes sparkled and agreed with the idea. Folding out of the stretch and having the blue haired woman roll herself upright, Cana sighed and rolled over to the couch Lucy was sitting on. "I swear, you're like silly putty!"

Lucy giggled and grinned to Juvia. "I bet you would have been fantastic at gymnastics, Juvia-chan!"

"Juvia is used to having to scale buildings and defend herself. Gymnastics doesn't sound as exciting unless Juvia can kick someone's ass while she's at it," she shrugged lightly, carefully lifting her left leg to check the light set of bandages where her stitches laid underneath.

"Oh…" Lucy nervously laughed. "Well, there's that too, I suppose…"

"Can I watch you guys exercise today? Juvia would love to see Lucy-chan practicing her kicks and punches with Cana-can, if that is allowed."

"Of course you can! You can be our little cheerleader!" Cana cooed as she eyed Juvia's outfit of a black tank with a silver lipstick print on the front and soft navy shorts - all given by the one and only Cana Alberona. "We just need to get you some pompoms and you're all set."

"We can make them out of newspaper," Lucy joked, rolling her eyes until Cana and Juvia both squealed in delight at the idea, making her face go red in the face. "H-hey, I was kidding!"

The doorknob of the apartment began to make its obvious jingle of being unlocked, Gray's keys clanging together before opening. Lucy was already helping Juvia back on the couch and handing her the blanket she has been sleeping with, since Gray expressed major concerns for the patient to be moving around and doing yoga poses while she still has bandages on (too bad Juvia rarely listens to him); so the girls have been keeping Juvia's yoga sessions secret whenever the racer left his apartment. Juvia has certainly made it known she is gaining a lot more energy and being aware of her surroundings, but it could also be being stuck inside most of the time and getting cabin fever.

"Ahh, well, if it isn't the party pooper!" Cana groaned loudly at her friend as he entered through the doorway, making him halt and send a irritated stare at her. The brunette grinned brightly as she leaned to the side, putting weight between Lucy and Juvia in a cuddling hug and throwing a wink at him. "Just so you know, I'm going to take the babies to the gym later today. Babe isn't gonna participate, so you don't need to mother her! I'll be the best babysitter ever!"

"You can't even take care of a cactus without something horrible happening to it," Gray rolled his eyes as he pushed his door open to reveal three other guests at his tail.

Natsu, with his dorky grin on his face, pushed his way through his friend with a platter with assorted treats doused in chocolate. Sliding to his knees towards Gray's coffee table, setting the plate on top before gracefully bowing and falling to his bottom. "I got Mirajane to break out the little cakes and stuff for you guys! You think you can make me a milkshake sometime when you feel better, Juvia? Ha?"

"Bribing with food, Natsu? Again?" Lucy sighed as she planted the palm of her hand on Natsu's still grinning face and pushed him back, watching as he snickered onto the floor. Looking up to see Makarov with an unknown man by his side, Lucy blinked slowly before offering a small smile, unsure if this new character is someone who she had to pretend to be part of a gang and not. "Hey, Master Makarov... How are you?"

The old man grinned to the blonde and nodded, turning his head to Cana with his friendly posture. "Why don't you, Lucy and Natsu go and see if my car needs tending to, hm?"

Cana blinked in confusion before stealing a glance to the taller man. "What about Juvia?"

"It'll be fine, I promise," he responded cooly, letting the brunette race let out a soft sigh and climb to her feet, hauling Lucy along with her. Cana ignored Lucy's questionable noise as she knelt down and grabbed Natsu by the collar of his jacket and tugged him to follow with half the effort. "Just don't let Natsu play around with my engine, will you? Don't let him touch Levy's tools while he's down there."

"I think you'd like my work, Gramps! Don't be shy!" Natsu said proudly as he hobbled to his feet and excused himself for nearly bumping into Silver's side, escorting the two girls out and closing the door, leaving Juvia inside the room with Gray, Makarov and the man who is a stranger to her.

Blinking a few times, it didn't take long for Juvia to narrow her eyes at the stranger and raise a brow to Gray with a little twitch in the corner of her lip. Despite still trusting her life with her companions, it was still an issue for her to meeting new people within the walls of Fairy Tail. When Levy tried to introduce her cousin to her assistants, Jet and Droy, both men freaked out when she held out to shake her hand. Apparently Juvia left a deep impression on the two mechanics from when she woke up and tried attacking them, saying they think she would be able to kill them.

Well, with that attitude, Juvia wouldn't doubt it for a second.

With this new character, he looked to be observing her and she didn't entirely appreciate that, but she didn't show it. He didn't seem threatening to her, but she had no idea who he was to Fairy Tail.

"Juvia, dear," Makarov asked for her attention and she obeyed, her head moving gracefully to meet the old man's eyes with a somewhat unamused look in her eye. "Don't worry about it, dear. This man is a friend of ours, actually."

The blue haired woman didn't respond and remained looking at the elderly man. Makarov cleared his throat and looked pointedly to Gray, making him sigh and rub the back of his head sourly. Meeting Juvia's eyes rather nervously, Gray cleared his throat before gesturing to the tall man.

"This my dad… He knows where your brother is."

=xxx=

"So that man was Gray's dad?"

Lucy held onto the wrench as she watched Natsu roll underneath Makarov's car on the board, watching his legs kick a little and a small clang as her partner grunted underneath. Cana was under the hood of the car, checking the oil and pulling out the metal string with a rag, looking pretty bored with her task as she puffed her cheeks.

"Yeah," Natsu cleared his throat from under the car. "He's a cop at a station on the other side of the city, but he's good pals with Gramps. I think Silver's uncle arrested him or something years back, when he was a shit."

"But he knows about everything we are?" Lucy asked as she knelt down beside him, her head tilting in confusion. "He's okay with Gray being...a pretend gangster?"

"Ice princess can't pose as a gangster to save his ass," Natsu snorted as he popped out. Lucy dutifully placed the wrench in his palm and took hold of the couple bolts he traded. "I'm not sure Silver is 'okay' with Gray being undercover, but they don't talk that much," he added on before rolling back under.

"Gray and Silver don't get along that well," Cana pitched in with a sigh as she hauled the small tank of oil to the edge of the hood. "Silver would be working all the time when Gray was growing up, always called in around the clock - the usual cliche of father and son relationship of tension, if you ask me.

"When Gray turned sixteen, he asked to join Makarov, instead of joining the police force like his parents thought he wanted to," Cana shrugged. "Natsu and Gray have known each other through school and hung out a lot as kids, so I guess it was a matter of time before Gray went rebellious and wanted to try and out-rank his old man."

"Is Silver that bad of a guy..?" Lucy peeped under her breath, making Cana cough a laugh.

"No way! That dude is a big softy as my dad!" Cana chuckled. "When Gray was underage, he'd visit to make sure the moron was eating and taking care of himself. Gray was the sort to get himself into trouble in high school - not like Natsu, who could get away with it - and would drive Makarov up a wall with phone calls from school. He was a little shit."

Lucy frowned a little bit at this information. Usually the stories she hears of Fairy Tail's members were more emotional and heart-jerking tales of homelessness, in need of help for survival or being rescued from an unfortunate fate of serving time for the wrong reasons. With Gray, as much as she adores her friend and Natsu's wrestling partner, it seemed there was nothing serious of it…

"Luce, can ya help me out with this?" Natsu's voice caught her attention as she looked to see him rolling out from under the car, scooting a little bit to the side. Silently inviting her to lay down on the wheeled board, Natsu waited until Lucy was able to tuck her long hair into a bun and cautiously settled herself on the space given to her.

Lucy peeped in surprise when Natsu casually shot them underneath the car, overwhelmed by the cramped space and the smell of car oil and gas. She blinked curiously up to the anatomy part of Makarov's car, unable to pinpoint anything with a name let alone its purpose for the vehicle.

"Uhm...Natsu, I don't know anything about cars," Lucy whispered to him regretfully, turning her chin while her brown eyes remained looking to random spots of the car.

"Cana can't hear for shit when we're under the hood, unless we yell," Natsu said in a normal volume, placing a bolt beside him before reaching back up with the wrench in his hand and unscrewing another. "You had a look on your face like you were confused about something. Is it about ice prick and his old man?"

Lucy really couldn't believe Natsu half the time, being able to read her thoughts so well like it was like watching TV or something. Blinking, Lucy swallowed and nodded a little, trying to make herself more comfortable laying on the board. "I just kinda figured Gray would come from a similar background like everyone else, I guess… Hearing that Gray just doesn't get along with his dad sounds kinda, I dunno, selfish?"

"He is kinda selfish, but he has his reasons to joining Fairy Tail," Natsu explained with a shrug. "When I first met him in middle school, he was this crabby good-for-nothing kid who thought his dad didn't care for him or his family. Since my dad was gone by the time I hit that age, I guess Gray thought I was going through the same thing, but I wasn't.

"First time I met his family at his house, his mom was the sweetest chick I could have ever met. She practically treated me like her own kid, actually," Natsu grinned dorkly and Lucy figured he had wonderful stories to tell her about visiting Gray's house as kids. "She'd make big dinners every night and come up with these cool ideas for games at the dinner table and have cool looking desserts. Great lady, honestly. You should meet her sometime!

"Anyway, by the time Gray's old man came home it would be really late and Gray and I would be watching movies or playing video games," Natsu went on casually. "Silver would come by, give Gray attention - and ice princess _hated _being hugged infront of me, hah! - ask him about his day of what he liked and disliked, all smiles and joking around like a normal parent."

"So it's really just Gray being a brat?" Lucy asked, making Natsu grin bigger.

"Nah, not in my opinion," the racer shook his head and turned to look at her. "If anything, Gray was jealous of his old man and looked up to him to the point that Gray made a goal to become better than Silver."

Lucy looked at Natsu with a flat expression, making him snicker at her reaction. "Silver was a tough-looking man, always in the city's news of how he stopped robberies, murders and other stuff; literally every little kid's hero of a policeman. Gray would see how cool his dad is and every time he went to school, the kids would talk to him all about Silver, Silver, Silver! Oh, how Silver was cool, how strong he was and how Gray should be just like his dad!

"Gray got sick of that really quick, picking fights and getting in trouble in rejection of becoming like his dad and wanting to be better than him," Natsu shrugged with a roll of his eyes. "Despite Silver being a wonderful dad and loving husband, Gray felt bothered how great his dad was and made it his dream to become more _cool _and _badass _than Silver could ever be. So, that's basically Gray's story of wanting to be better and not live in his dad's shadow."

"But he doesn't talk to his dad? What about his mom?" Lucy asked curiously.

"Silver and Mika call his cell all the time, to check up on him and probably invite him for dinner, but he never answers," Natsu snorted. "He always wants them to think he's too busy working for the FBI and all that, I guess. He's not a bad guy, but he's an idiot to skip out on a free dinner with his parents. Sometimes they call _me_ and ask if he's still breathing, but they do their best to not try and bother him too much."

"I see…"

Natsu grinned to Lucy and winked. "Not everyone has a sappy-sad story coming to Fairy Tail, Luce. It's really all about what your goal in life is and how Fairy Tail can make you a stronger person inside and out; take you for example!"

"Me?" Lucy peeped with red cheeks, not enjoying how the topic switched to her in a snap.

He nodded, very enthusiastic about it. "When you first came here, you were like '_Ahh! Don't kill me gangsters!', _remember?" he chuckled when Lucy smacked his chest with the back of her hand, embarrassed. "You didn't know much about the world of gangs and racing, but now you're becoming this more confident and strong woman that can kick ass when she's in action. You're just an amazing woman that continues to grow and I'm really happy to see that."

Lucy's heart fluttered immensely at his words, pretty sure that her face was bright red as they locked eyes. He wasn't flirting at all, she knew, but this was something that truly made her feel light in the head.

It seemed to be the same for Natsu, realizing what he had said as his cheeks tinted just the littlest bit and his eyes widen. They stared at each other as Lucy swallowed thickly and fiddled with the hem of her blouse nervously.

"R-really..?" she whispered shyly, hearing her heartbeat pounding in her ears. "Y-you really think that about me, Natsu?"

"I think a lot of stuff about you as a person, Luce," Natsu blurted out. "Good things, though. I promise, but yeah."

Lucy couldn't really figure out how it was happening, how the distance between their faces were subtracting slowly and how warm she felt with Natsu's breath fanning her flushed cheeks. His hands were still inside the car but weren't working on the bolts anymore, staying still as their eyes began to close and their lips began to reach each other…

She could barely feel his rough yet really, really warm lips against her glossed ones when a loud bang wracked all around them.

"Oi!" Cana yelled as she opened the hood again, stomping her foot on the ground. "Lucy, girl! What the hell are you doing down there, huh? Who the hell am I gonna talk to about lingerie while I'm forced to pamper Makarov's car?"

Cana wasn't able to see them under there, which was a bonus, unable to see Natsu and Lucy's equally bright red faces as they stared in horror at the brunette's interruption. "What are you two doing down here, huh?" Cana barked impatiently. "You're not sucking each other's faces or anything, are you? Natsu! You better not get oil stuck in Lucy's glorious locks, you hear me?"

"Bah, shove it, Cana!" Natsu huffed out, maintaining his normal voice to the point that Cana actually laughed at his response. "Can ya get me some water or something? It's getting dusty under here!"

"Yeah, sure," Cana drawled. "Anything to delay my portion of the work on here. Lucy, hurry up under there so we can talk about something more amusing, 'kay? Don't make me drag you out by the ankles!"

Lucy and Natsu watched as Cana's decorated feet casually walked off in the direction of Mirajane's bar, leaving the two underneath the car to wait a moment before looking back to each other. Natsu broke into his signature toothy grin as he shrugged, his cheeks still a bit pink as he chuckled nervously.

"I should get ya outta here, Luce. It's actually getting dusty," Natsu said as he set down the wrench and wiped his hands on his shirt, smudging oil and grease uncaringly.

Lucy felt herself panic a little bit, not really thinking as she reached over with one hand and grabbed the side of Natsu's face and turned him back her way. Pressing her mouth against his, she realized she missed her direct target of his puckered face caused by her hold; kissing the corner of his lips, she shut her eyes tight and held still for a good moment with Natsu froze on the spot.

His lips really tasted like cinnamon, but that may be the cause of him taste testing the collected treats he had Mirajane arrange by his request. She briefly recalled him helping himself to a few mini cinnamon cakes that were the size of Lucy's pinky and how she had to smack his hand away before he took his tenth one, telling him not to ruin his dinner. Either way, with his somewhat dry lips against hers, she enjoyed the taste and texture and _warm _mouth against hers.

Letting go soundly, Lucy looked to Natsu to find his eyes wide as plates, his cheeks bleeding into the cutest shade of red as she watched his throat bob rather attractively. Biting her lip, Lucy quickly concluded that she did something horribly wrong to her partner until his eyes softened with an indescribable emotion sparkling in them, his mouth quirking to a half-grin as a breathy laugh escaped his lips.

She wasn't expecting him to respond by bending his head forward and press a brief but still very warm and inviting kiss under her eye. "Easy there, tiger," he said against her boiling skin affectionately before pulling back. "Don't wanna piss Cana off by tempting me to keep you under here, right?"

Lucy shivered and huffed with a bright smile on her face. "You doorknob," she laughed, tucking her chin to her chest, refusing to see him waggle his brows silly at her. "You're getting ahead of yourself."

"Says the one who grabbed my face, Luce," Natsu shrugged playfully, making her laugh more against his shoulder. "We can argue about that later, right?"

Lucy's chest fluttered in the best way possible. "Yeah."

"Lucy!" Cana whined loudly in the distance of approaching. "Ya better be out of there, or I'm gonna be a very unhappy woman!"

"Nag nag nag," Natsu tsked with a roll of his eyes, making sure Cana could hear her. Lucy covered her mouth with the back of her hand and smacked his chest with her free one. "Why didn't you marry a rich sugar daddy and become one of those housewives on TV, Cana?"

"It's on my bucket list, Salamander!" Cana responded quite honestly, like she wasn't offended.

Natsu shook his head with a half smile before looking back to Lucy. "Can't keep the lady waiting," he shrugged as he reached down to haul them both out back into the real world that remained oblivious of what happened under the car. Lucy truthfully couldn't help but feel on top of the world at this point.

Lucy was at her happiest, and she wouldn't change it for nothing.

.

.

.

Gray would occasionally glance over to the passenger seat every few seconds to check on the blue haired woman looking out the window. She was given a big, bulky sweatshirt to wear over her shirt that basically went down to her knees and borrowed Lisanna's flat sandals to go out, making her look rather small and fragile looking, but Gray knew better. Her bruised cheek still in his view, Gray could tell that the only reason why she put her hair down was to cover it up a little so there wouldn't be any wandering eyes to their destination.

Juvia's window was pulled up, but she sat the same way the last time she was in Gray's car, back when he raced against Vidaldus for her fate. As familiar it was, she appeared to be different from before as she looked out the window. More tired and deeper in thought.

Following his father's regular car to the station brought back some memories of when he was a smaller kid, and was actually excited to visit his dad at work with his mother. It's been way too long since last time Gray was at the station (for both casual visits and being mistaken for a criminal whenever he was caught by one of his father's cops), but his belly still felt unsettled just by going back to the place he refused to acknowledge once he was old enough to be on his own.

Thinking about how his father interacted with Juvia made him feel worse, now that it came to his mind…

"_Hello, Juvia," Silver greeted the seated woman with his trademark grin as he helped himself to a chair across from the coffee table. "My name is Silver."_

_Juvia's face scrunched with confusion as she looked between the cop and Gray, a brow raised incredulously as she somewhat leaned away from the men in the room. Makarov was quick to usher her to relax in their presence, promising that there was no harm intended towards her._

"_You don't need to worry about him, dear," Makarov waved a hand dismissively. "Silver here is actually a friend of mine from way back. He just acts like he's everybody's friend whenever he meets someone new."_

"_So he's a cop," Juvia finally spoke, her voice flat. Gray stiffened at her tone of voice and was actually willing to warn his father that the woman really didn't seem happy to see either of them now._

_Silver actually made a noise of surprise. "How did you figure that? I'm not wearing anything that gives me away, am I?" the man began to look himself over, looking his a badge or anything that might ruin his disguise._

"_The way you're sitting is the appearance of someone who is looking for answers, as well as trying to come off as friendly as possible to whoever you're speaking to," she said before narrowing her eyes. "Juvia doesn't care if you're Gray-sama's father or not, you're a cop and Juvia doesn't really appreciate that…"_

_Silver nonetheless smiled to her. "You're a very smart woman, I see. And you call my son with the '-sama' suffix too? That's something I haven't heard before." Glancing to his son, Silver's dark eyes sparkled rather mischievously. "Son, how come I have never heard of this darling girl? She's quite a gem and I'm sure your mother would have absolute fun inviting her over for dinner."_

_Gray instantly went red in the face, all while Juvia remained cool and collected, yet she seemed curious of Silver's meaning of his words. "S-she's not part of Fairy Tail, you idiot," Gray growled out at him. "Stop acting so suave!"_

"_I'm not acting suave!" Silver defended himself, suddenly dropping his elbow to his knee and winked to Juvia. "Unless you want me to, then I can definitely change the game plan."_

"_What do you want with Juvia?" she demanded in a flat voice. "Gray-sama says you know where my brother is."_

"_Ah, I do!" Silver remembered with a perk. "Gajeel Redfox, right? He's at my station as we speak, although he's not speaking… Yeah, he's a stubborn one, but my son here says that you'd be able to help me out."_

"_Juvia doesn't help cops."_

"_Well, that's the best part, I'm not on duty right now," Silver said cheerfully. "I'm actually here to help _you _out, as requested from my dorky son to reunite you with your brother."_

"_What does that have to do with Juvia?" she asked while crossing her arms. "You don't know Juvia or Nii-chan, so why would you want to 'help' only if Gray-sama asked?"_

"_Because I can tell that you're not like anyone who has ever walked through my station," Silver said pointedly, and Gray remembered very well at how confused he was by his father's tone of voice and how he gave Juvia a real genuine smile. The woman was also a bit taken aback by his comment as well._

"_From what I can tell, just like you've proven that you can read people, too," Silver began, "you have been through a whole lot in your life, but you don't hold that against anyone or make it an excuse."_

_When Juvia didn't answer or made a snarky remark by his charm, Silver grinned. "You really care for those you are close to, both family and friends, and you want them to be happy. You're protective of those who are younger than you or can't stand up for themselves; no matter what's happening to you, you don't stop thinking about them, do you?"_

_Silver leaned his elbows on his knees, closer to the table as he offered Juvia a sincere and gentle expression. "I don't think you're a bad person, Juvia, and neither is your brother. Although he has a record for some irritating things, I can also tell he's being stubborn because he cares like you do. You two just express it differently."_

_Juvia glanced down to the table, her face unreadable as she shifted around on her spot on the couch. Gray did his best to not approach her or tell his dad to put a sock in it, standing there uncomfortably as Juvia took in a big breath and exhaled before looking up to Silver._

"_Juvia wants to see her brother," she said in a small voice. "Whatever it is you want from Juvia...money for his bail, or whatever - Juvia will take care of it. I want to see Nii-chan."_

_Silver nodded and got up from his chair. "Then, let's go see him."_

Gray hadn't expected Silver to just willingly obey Juvia as her order to see Gajeel, let alone see Makarov nod in approval and began speaking to Juvia as he led her to the bedroom to pick out something warmer to wear and pick out shoes. When he gave his father a look of legit 'what-the-hell?', his father's face actually perked like a struck idiot by Cupid's arrow and rubbed the back of his head.

"_She reminds me so much of Mika," _Silver whispered with a chuckle. "_I couldn't really say no to her, but I bet she has a wonderful smile once she reunited with her brother and I want to see it! Ya picked out quite a gem, son."_

Gray took a deep breath noisily, but Juvia remained unfazed by it and kept her eyes outside the window with a tired look. He glanced her way once they reached a red light behind Silver's car and swallowed nervously.

"You cold, Juvia?" he asked in a gruff voice. "Or too warm?"

"Juvia is fine," she said rather plain, making Gray drum his fingers on the steering wheel.

"Not in pain? Your bruises don't hurt, do they?" His face scrunched a bit as he tried to maintain his composure yet wanting to give her distance. He wasn't comfortable with the silence she has been giving him lately today - not counting Lisanna and Levy banning him from the bedroom and Cana kicking him out when she finally came by. But, whenever Gray finally got close enough to Juvia and tried to strike up a conversation, she didn't seem too pleased. "What about the stitches? It's -."

"Gray-sama needs to calm down."

Gray's head snapped her way and stared at her with wide eyes as she slowly blinked and propped her chin on her sleeved hand, looking at him rather calmly. Her loose waves slipped from her shoulders and down the sweatshirt, covering a large portion of her bruised face. "Juvia wants to thank Gray-sama for calling his father about Nii-chan, even though he is a cop…"

"It's not like -."

"And you don't get along with him, which Juvia doesn't understand all that much," she stopped him with a raised brow of pure curiosity. "Not that it is Juvia's business, but Gray-sama is a lot like his son in more ways than one."

Gray's brow twitched in irritation, looking back ahead as the light changed and he continued to follow his father's car. "We're _nothing _alike, Juvia."

"Of course you two are," Juvia spoke. "You both are determined men who don't like it when Juvia is upset."

"_What!" _Gray shouted, nearly hitting the brakes in shock. A car behind him honked but he ignored it.

Hearing Juvia's chimey giggle made his heart flutter a little bit, but he didn't dare look to see her teasing smile. Although her laugh was wonderful to hear after the while she's been under his roof, it wasn't in the best interest of the topic of his father and him being alike. "Juvia means it. Juvia could tell that Silver-sama was trying really hard to make Juvia happy when he walked in; he even flirts like you do, Gray-sama!"

"You're giving him a suffix now?" Gray whined with round eyes on the road. "And I don't _flirt!"_

"Elbow on the table or knee, that small smirk on the face nearly the whole time. Oh yeah, you two flirt the same way. Juvia sees where you got it from," the blue haired woman sang, making Gray's chest twist painfully. He opened his mouth to snap back at her, but it was her happy sigh that made him freeze. "Although Juvia thinks Gray-sama is a much better flirt when it comes to Juvia…"

Gray closed his mouth, feeling himself cooling off a little bit but he was still having a hard time listening to Juvia speak like this.

"But...Silver-sama definitely has class that Gray-sama needs to work on."

The rest of the car ride was Gray trying to explain to Juvia how wrong she was and Juvia backing her case up beautifully. He stole peeks to her blossoming, smiley face now and then, seeing her relax in her seat yet remained hugging her legs and resting her good cheek against her knees as she stuck her tongue out at him. If Gray would have it differently, it would only be that the situation and reason for the ride was going out for something to eat or a road trip; having Juvia's injuries healed and not worried about anything.

Coming up to the parking lot of the police station, Gray noticed the sudden change in Juvia's behavior as she straightened up her back and stared at the familiar insignia of the police logo painted on the window. With barely any cars, Silver and Gray parked next to each other near the entrance and killed the engine. Pulling out his keys, Gray looked to Juvia chewing on her lower lip rather nervously, making him feel something unusual in his chest.

He wanted to hold her and keep her in his arms until she calmed down from her invisible anxiety attack, but this wasn't the time nor the place - as if there will ever be a time for that.

"You're fine, Juvia," he managed to say. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you in there, and neither will my dad and Master Makarov, okay? No one is going to ask questions."

"Juvia doesn't like cops."

"Yeah, well, neither do I," Gray said honestly with a shrug. "One of the reasons why I didn't become one."

Juvia looked at him while he did his smirk and raised a brow at her. A gentle tap to her window caused her to jump a little, seeing Makarov waving cheerfully with Silver at the entrance waiting for them. Gray unlocked the door and Makarov carefully opened it to reveal Juvia from behind the tinted windows.

"Juvia dear, you can put the hood on if it will make you feel better," he suggested kindly. "No one is gonna bother us while I'm here with Silver. They will assume I'm here for business or drinks." The old man snickered joyfully at his little part of the plan as he held the door open for Juvia to come out.

She nodded slowly and slipped the hood up, covering majority of her bruise from prying eyes as she carefully got out. Gray was worried about her legs making it too sore for her to walk, but she managed to make herself independent from assistance with a slight limp and he got himself out of his car and went over to his father.

"Nervous?" Silver said under his breath to him, looking pointedly at Juvia as she stayed by Makarov as he closed the door and spoke to her animatedly.

Gray ran his fingers through his hair coolly. "Not the biggest fan of police stations, let's just say that."

"Makes two kids I know who don't like 'em," Silver sighed before grinning Juvia's way as Makarov escorted her over and opened the door like a true gentleman. Gray didn't have the time to retort to his father as he stole the door from him and somewhat kicked him inside the building by the rear, hearing him chuckle. Gray overheard some of his father's men announce his arrival in surprise, asking what he was doing on his day off and Silver responding to go back to whatever they were doing and ignore that he was here.

Makarov was supportive enough for Juvia to enter through the doorway, straight back and hands gripping the sweatshirt tightly as she went behind Silver and used him to shield as much of herself as possible while the elderly man stood by her side.

"Redfox is still in interrogation room three, right?" Silver asked the receptionist, a older woman with pens in her hair who nodded silently, going back to whatever she was doing on her computer. Gray mentally reminded himself that only Silver has access to the mirror rooms that connected to the cells Gajeel would have been locked in, following ahead of them to Silver's side as Makarov continued to speak to Juvia in a soft voice, as if a security blanket.

Fiddling with the keys he swapped out from his pocket, Silver looked between keycards and actual keys for whichever one would fit to the door they were going to. "I'm gonna let him know he has a visitor. He hasn't spoken a single word since he came in, but I don't really know how he will react if I tell him, since Juvia's whereabouts was meant to be confidential."

"I'll go with you so he knows it's okay," Gray said. "He left her in our care, and he probably knows me best compared to Gramps."

Silver shrugged lightly as he turned his head to see Juvia smiling down to Makarov, who was chuckling lightly and imitating with his hands about a story that was keeping her occupied. Once they came down the eerily-lit hallway that seemed to go on forever, they came down to the end to a halt as Silver finally found the key he was looking for.

"If you don't mind me asking, Juvia, if you can wait here while I go and make sure he's awake?" Silver asked the woman with a grin while he unlocked the door with a keycard, seeing her nod slowly and rocking on her heels. Gray couldn't help but feel a swell of joy that she is excited to see her brother, despite her face purposely tucked into the sweatshirt collar to hide her face.

Gray followed his father through the first doorway that led either through a door to the interrogation room or the mirror room, where you could either be watched or watch whatever happens in the room. With an actual key this time, Silver unlocked the door on the farther right and stuck his head inside before actually entering.

"Hey, Redfox," Silver spoke in his casual voice, putting a hand on his side as his head rocked to the side. Gray couldn't really see past him, being that Silver was as buff as Gildarts and blocked nearly everything he stood by. "How'ya feelin' tonight?"

There was no response, as Gray probably guessed by Gajeel's stubborn behavior and the rumor Laxus spilled the other night of Gajeel refusing to speak at all. From what Silver briefly said in Makarov's office, Gajeel had broken into a jewelry store and appeared to just be waiting for the police to arrive and arrest him for breaking in; he was injured with deep cuts with glass shards in it, so Gray guessed that he must have had a brawl similar to what happened with Juvia's leg or something along the lines.

Silver tried to lighten the mood between him and scratched the back of his head, just like how Gray does when he -! Forget that. Gray silently sneered at his father's back at the thought of how they _absolutely could no way be similar with their habits. _"Well, I hate being a bother to your downtime, but you have a visitor here to see you."

Gray took that as his cue to pat his father on the back briefly and have him make space for him to pass by and enter the room. It was a fairly normal-looking cell, save for the large wall with the one sided mirror tinted out against the prisoner. There was a folded cot and a table and two chairs on either side of it; there was no toilet or sink, considering that it really wasn't meant to be lived in, but Silver had the room setup to observe Gajeel during his mute and stubborn behavior for safety.

Gajeel was laying in the cot, his right arm bandaged with soft wraps and wearing what looks to be an old shirt from someone that was still a bit too small for Gajeel's size. Rusty-colored eyes instantly snapped to Gray's arrival as he instantly got up from the cot and stared at him with a shocked expression.

"It's nice to see that you're okay, Gaj -!" Gray attempted to make a friendly greeting to the injured man until a collision of a fist impact the right side of his jaw, making Gray's teeth pinch hard on his bottom lip.

Gajeel had used his good arm to wheel back and charge at Gray, hitting him once before ramming his side onto his chest until the collided with the wall nearest to them. The door swung open by Silver's weight from backing away in shock and forcing himself to balance from falling down as Gajeel wrapped his fist in Gray's shirt and lifted him a good inch off the ground. Gray struggled against the hold and saw how much fire was in Gajeel's tired eyes, looking like he had full intent on drawing blood.

"You _fucking son of a bitch!" _Gajeel roared to the point Gray swore he would breathe fire or rip his throat apart. "I'll _fuckin' _kill you!"

"It's not like that!" Gray responded quickly, trying to get the man to release him. "You need to calm down, Gajeel!"

"_Where is she?" _Gajeel snarled deeply. "What _happened to my sister, _you little -!"

"Nii-chan!"

Blue hair and tiny, pale hands came to Gray and blocked him from Gajeel's view. In an instant, he was dropped to his feet as a sound of a slap echoed in the room, Gajeel staggered back a bit as Juvia held the hand she used to strike in the air. Makarov finally entered through the doorway and looked around, letting out a low whistle before continuing inside towards the table and found himself a seat on one of the chairs by himself. Silver watched the elderly man with large eyes, his lip twitching in disbelief at the ex-gangster's response to the violence that had taken place.

Juvia straightened her back and lowered her hand, her shoulders rising and falling as Gajeel held his face and stared wide eyed at the obviously furious woman. Stomping her stitched leg, Juvia winced from her mistake as she spoke in a tone of voice that Gray had never heard before coming from her.

"You do _not _behave this way to someone who _fucking protected your sister, _Gajeel Redfox! If you ever do that again, and I _swear _to _fuckin' Christ _I will make sure you can never use your hands ever again!" Juvia stated in a venomous voice, her finger pointing at the fallen man. "Do you understand me?"

Silence stretched on inside the room, not once disturbed by anyone else inside the police station. Slowly, Gajeel collected himself on his knees, his eyes staying locked with Juvia's own as she held her ground like some dominating character that Gray has never seen - but he would tell the sudden change in the air when he barely saw Juvia's shoulders hiccup just the littlest bit.

Juvia's eyes began filling with tears as she kept her angry expression, her lower lip starting to pout and tremble as Gajeel rose to his feet with a only a couple feet between them. It was only another minute for Juvia to start breaking down and burst out a sobbing exhale as she jumped at Gajeel.

He easily caught her with both arms and practically crushed her against him and constricted his large arms around her, her legs folding up for him to catch as he dropped to the floor and held her tightly. Juvia buried her face between his neck and shoulder and some of his messy, black hair, her thin but still strong arms wrapped around his head and tangled her fingers him his hair hard as she cried out in such a broken voice.

"_Why did you leave Juvia_?" she cried out against his shirt, her tone a bit hard to indicate that she was still angry. "You _left_ Juvia and I didn't know where you went!"

"I know, kid," Gajeel said in a low voice, one hand balancing her against him and the other rubbing her back and hooded head.

"_You left Juvia!_ I hate you, Nii-chan!" Juvia sobbed, one of her hands weakly and shakingly punched his back. "You scared Juvia, you _moron! _Juvia thought you _died!"_

"I know. I'm a moron," Gajeel agreed, nodding and accepting every punch she gave him. "I'm sorry, squirt. I'm sorry for everything."

Juvia clung herself as close as she would to her brother, trying to make herself small in his arms while still scolding him in her bossy voice. Both completely ignored the three men remaining in the room, watching as the notorious and dangerous-looking Gajeel Redfox cradle and held Juvia like they were separated for years and years. Gray ran a hand through his hair and took a silent breath to catch himself against the wall, tasting iron on his tongue and touching his bottom lip to find it stained bright red. It wasn't a bad cut or anything in need for medical attention, but he knew for sure that his jaw was going to be absolutely sore in a while. He will have to ask his dad for some ice or a cold canned drink he keeps in his mini fridge in his office (that's always stocked for himself).

"Nii-chan, _apologize!" _Juvia spluttered through her tears in a thick voice, her face still hiding from the world with the help of the hoodie she wore and her brother's unkempt hair in her way. "You apologize for attacking Gray-sama, Nii-chan. Right now!" she demanded.

And like an obedient man, Gajeel nodded with his cheek against his sister's hood and looked up to Gray. When Gray looked to the Phantom Lord man, he was in disbelief for a moment to see unshed tears in Gajeel's red and sore eyes. The men holding his step-sibling forced himself to clear his throat, all while keeping the crying woman in his arms and opened his mouth.

"I'm...I'm sorry 'bout that," he said rather quietly, but entirely honest with his words. "I thought...you gave her up to the fuzz."

Gray instantly shook his head, quickly regretting it as he held his jaw and sucked on his bottom lip to stop a trickle of blood running down his chin.

To be truthful, Gray was very content with the outcome of the situation. Seeing the woman he really cared about with the only family she had left in this whole world, hugging him and speaking like she usually would to her older brother really brought the real Juvia back. The Juvia Gray was more familiar with; the emotional, living and responsive Juvia that he always wants to see, whether she was crying or laughing at him about his habits being similar to his dad…

Yeah, it was totally worth the punch to his face.

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=xxx=

AUTHOR'S ENDING NOTE - I know this is a overdue update, but I hope you will forgive me and will leave a Review! I spent nearly everyday of my break working 12 hours and managing the household for my family after that, so I wasn't getting as much free time as I thought.

Please, please Review, Follow, Favorite or whatnot! Remember I love you all and can't wait to see you in the next update (which shouldn't take so long?) Byebye!


	15. Chapter 15

-Continuously humming a theme song from a kid's show because I am an adult-

Remember to Review, Follow, Favorite or do something that makes you as happy as a puppy with a plushed animal!

=xxx=

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Gajeel searched through the cabinets of the bathroom frantically, picking up bottles and reading them before dropping them onto the counter and getting the next one. His expression serious and determined slowly lessened and grew to a more irritated and worried one as he cleaned out the whole shelf of prescription medication, gripping the edge of the cabinet with tight hands.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Gajeel growled under his breath as he fished through the fallen ones on the counter to make sure he didn't miss it. "You gotta be freakin' kidding me!"

It was Wednesday and his father still hasn't come back from the race on Saturday, making Gajeel's anxiety to rise just a bit when no word on the voice mailbox came through at any clue of Metalicana's existence. Gajeel called himself and Juvia in to the school, lying with the excuse that she wasn't feeling well and their parents had to go to work, he came to the realization that his sister had ran out of her epilepsy pills.

Whenever Juvia was running out, she would tell Metalicana who would pick them up right away. From what she told Gajeel when questioned, Juvia told their dad before he left for the race.

Being underage and no idea where his father was, Gajeel searched the whole house for any backup meds or any substitute. Alas, whatever he found were strong painkillers, ibuprofen or digestive correction; literally nothing to help with the seven year old's condition of seizures.

Gajeel had called whatever bars he knew his father would visit, or even establishments he knew he would hang out with friends before going to the races through the phonebook. No one recalled ever seeing Metalicana on Saturday or in the past few _**weeks**_, but Gajeel never said a word to Juvia…

It was only going to be the matter of time when Juvia's body will react to the sudden break from medication, the school to become suspicious of his absences and possible authorities coming to their doorstep. Things were not looking good.

He was really tempted to smash the cabinet to pieces until the phone snapped him out of it. Leaving the bathroom and to the living room, he found Juvia coloring in one of her coloring books with crayons on the floor, completely unaware of what was happening or choosing to ignore it. Dropping himself on the couch, Gajeel listened to the phone ring and let Juvia show him her colored page of a dinosaur.

Juvia seemed to have stopped pestering Gajeel about their father, saying that 'he must be having a sleepover with Uncle Iggy or some friends! It's too bad we don't know the numbers or Juvia would share her candy with them all'. The machine beeped, letting him know that a message was being recorded.

"Metalicana."

Gajeel's head turned to the machine, his attention solely on the man's irritated, aged voice. "It's Jose, Metalicana. It's a few days past the date you were _suppose to pay me back_, idiot," it said with a exhale. "Ya know I don't mind lending you money for your kid's hospital visits, but I'm getting really pissed off that you haven't came in to pay me back or even bothered to _call me!_

"If you get this message, I want you to either call back or come by the Phantom Lord bar. I'm running out of patience and I need my cash, Metalicana," the voice bit out before hanging up without saying goodbye. Gajeel sat there for a moment with his mind processing everything while Juvia's head tilt at the side in confusion.

"Who was that, Nii-chan?" she asked.

=xxx=

Gajeel pounded his hand as hard as he could on the metal door, his other hand carefully holding Juvia's smaller one while she held the umbrella over both of them from the pouring rain. It took a while for him to figure out the alleys and junkyards to get to the crummy-looking bar in the afternoon in the rain, all while carrying his sister on his shoulders so she wouldn't get wet; the torn page from the phonebook and a poorly written name made by one of Juvia's crayons in his pocket, he stood tall and serious as he waited for someone to open up.

The slot startled Juvia a little bit as sunglasses peered at them. "We don't accept fake IDs, kid," the voice said rather monotoned. "Sorry, but you're going to have to look at another bar or get someone to buy for you."

"I'm looking for Jose," Gajeel stated firmly.

The man on the other side was silent for a moment, yet Gajeel had no patience standing in the rain. "He called my house earlier, asking for my old man, Metalicana. I'm his son and I want to speak to Jose," Gajeel said seriously. "Is he here or not?"

"You're Metalicana's kid?"

Gajeel rolled his eyes while a distant rumble of thunder could be heard. Juvia became distracted by the noise and looked behind her shoulder. "Look, it's raining out here and I ain't gonna have my sister catch a cold because you stare off into fuckin' space. Is Jose here or not? I ain't got all day to play twenty questions!" he snapped. It was obvious that the man couldn't see Juvia, but then he paid more attention and saw the top of her yellow raincoat hat. "Ya gonna open the door or not?"

"Shit, you're his kid alright."

The metal door opened, revealing a massive sized man with a hat and sunglasses on inside the dim-lit building. Gajeel huffed in annoyance at the man's sudden change of behavior as he picked up Juvia, telling her to close the umbrella while they entered through the doorway. The bar wasn't busy, but the stench of alcohol stung both of their noses as Juvia closed the umbrella and then tucked her face into Gajeel's hood to mask the odor.

"S-sorry about that. I didn't realize that there w-was a little girl out there," the man's voice began to crack, making Gajeel take a step away from him with his baby sister in his hold, cradling her away as far as he would from him. "Uhh, wait here and I'll get Jose for ya."

Gajeel then found himself sitting at one of the table booths with Juvia nestled to his side, her damp hair against his arm, sleepy looking as he stared intently at the man with black hair pulled into a ponytail and ugly eyebrows looking straight back at him with an unamused look on his face.

"I'm Jose Porla," the man introduced himself slowly and crossed his arms. "Aria told me that you're Metalicana's son? I can definitely see the resemblance between you two. How is your old man?"

"I wouldn't be here talking to you if I knew," Gajeel snorted. When Jose blinked in utter confusion, he responded by leaning on the table. It didn't really bother Juvia when he did that, instead sitting up straight and yawned. "When was the last time you heard from him?"

Jose's face scrunched for a moment before looking to the dozing child with a raised brow. "You mean you don't know where your dad is? When was the last time -?"

"He hasn't been back since Saturday and no one knows where he is," Gajeel interrupted him. "You're probably the last person who has spoken to him, right?"

"I spoke to him on Saturday on the phone. He was at a race God knows somewhere, but that doesn't mean I know where he is, brat," Jose's eyes narrowed. "Shouldn't you be in school?"

"May Juvia ask where the bathroom is, please?" the tiny voice peeped in and both guys looked to see Juvia looking between them shyly.

Jose blinked and pointed over to under the staircase beside the bar counter. "Over there, kiddo…"

Gajeel easily picked up Juvia and set her on her feet, watching her carefully as she strolled over to the women's bathroom and closed the door. He ignored Jose's sniff and watched around the bar for any drunks who may have been watching them or his little sister moving around.

"I take it the little one doesn't know much? Your dad occasionally works for me when he needs money for some medical bill or whatever. We're strictly business partners, so I don't know much about his personal life other than he needed cash for the children hospital," Jose explained in a low voice so no one would turn heads their way. "He'd do these drug runs for me while my two guys are handling other works, or he'll race for me - Don't give me that look, you seem like a smart kid. You know your dad isn't everyone's superhero."

It was true, but Gajeel would really give a shit less about that. Jose seemed to know that as well and continued on. "Anyway, yeah, I spoke to your pops on Saturday about seeing me after the race 'bout my money, but he never showed. He owes me a few thousand from past bills he borrowed from me, kid, I ain't gonna lie."

"So you don't know where he is," Gajeel said flatly.

"Nope. Doesn't your mother know you're skipping school? You're gonna get in trouble being in a place like this, if you ask me," Jose rubbed his temples. "I'll give you and your sis chocolate milk or water, but you can't be hanging here for long. Your mother wouldn't you want you two in a place like this."

"My ma is dead. I'm taking care of my sister."

"Well, how grown up of you," Jose sighed, unimpressed. "How old are you anyway? You gotta be at least seventeen or something."

"_Fourteen_. My sister just turned seven a while ago," Gajeel stated with crossed arms. Jose seemed surprised by this, probably due to his early growth spirt making look older than he actually is. "Besides that, it doesn't look like my dad is coming back."

Jose seemed to know what the kid was thinking, frowning at the invisible message that Metalicana could very much likely be long gone. As sad as the possibility may be, the gang boss didn't want to voice it outloud to such a young kid and have the news be told to the littler one; he didn't like kids that much, but recalling how Metalicana's muscles relaxed once handed the wad of cash for a hospital bill made Jose feel depressed. It wasn't going to look good for these two kids once they go back home...

At the age of fourteen, however, Gajeel Redfox struck a deal with Jose Porla that kept him and his step sister together and bring in bank to the Phantom Lord gang. As much as it pained Gajeel to think of the outcome of his father and having to hold Juvia as she cried herself to sleep nearly every night onwards until she calmed down, he wasn't going to give in to being separated from the only family he had left.

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R_i_**d**e '_**e**_m _H_**a**r_**d**_

Chapter Fifteen

Gajeel sat on the chair with his feet on the table as Makarov sat in the other with Silver standing behind him for extra precautions. After what he had done to the Fairy Tail S-Class racer upon entering the room, Gajeel really couldn't blame the dark haired man wanting to keep an extra pair of eyes on him while Juvia and Gray sat on the bench outside the room to give them space. It took a while for him and Juvia to let go of each other, yet Juvia became dizzy from crying and Gray offered to take her and get water, which Gajeel _eventually _allowed once Juvia agreed to take a minute outside the sterile room, leaving him with the chief and gang boss of a rivaling party.

"Gajeel, you don't have to talk if you don't want to," Makarov spoke after a minute or so of annoying silence. "But I have a few questions, if you will be willing to hear me out of it."

The criminal kept his eyes on his wrapped arm, but he didn't reject the idea. For as long as he can remember, Makarov was always more tolerable than Jose whenever he visited the bar or ran into him at the races. Of course Gajeel would consider his questions compared to Gray or the chief, even though both of them seem to be pretty careful and treat Juvia like a damsel. Shrugging his good shoulder, Gajeel closed his eyes and waited.

"Do you know who you are working for, son?" Makarov asked. "Have you heard of Acnologia or Zancrow before..?"

The latter name made Gajeel suddenly snicker under his breath, and both Silver and Makarov looked to each other at his reaction. "That old geezer Zancrow had everything comin' to him when I got my hands on that son of a bitch."

Makarov remained calm as he went on. "So I take it that it was Phantom Lord who took him out a while back?"

"If it wasn't on the news, I take it that ya got your information from the opposite lines, old man," Gajeel retorted with a huff, kicking back further on his chair. "Look, I don't know who I was _officially_ working for when we were hired by the man, but he obviously liked to keep himself out of the spotlight whenever he had his boytoy Hades call us at ungodly hours."

"Who is Hades?" Silver asked with furrowed brows.

Gajeel picked at his teeth boredly. "Some pirate who was BFFs with Jose back in the day, or somethin'. Don't know much about him either, but he played messenger boy for whoever his boss is."

"But you killed Zancrow," Silver pressed. "You know who he was, right?"

Gajeel didn't answer the officer, behaving like a sassy brat as he checked his nails with an obvious look on his face. Makarov sighed with a smile when Silver scoffed in disbelief and waved his hand at him.

"You know me, Makarov, I hold grudges to those who have wronged me or my family in the past," Gajeel said coolly and closed his eyes. "If you can, get me a copy of the CSI photos, will ya? I wanna see how the work turned out."

"How do you know Zancrow, boy?" Makarov asked slowly, hoping to not anger the man across the table.

"The fucker bothered my old man once upon a time. He'd stalk me and Juvia when we were kids and my dad would give him a piece of his mind every time he would show up. It'd leave him paranoid for a few days too, staying up all night with a gun in each hand so Juvia and I would sleep," Gajeel said. "He was a disgusting man and had everything coming from what I've also caught on TV back then, so I personally don't think Mr. Slick needs to add that to my record."

Makarov ignored Silver's irritated echo of the given nickname, nodding to him. "Do you think you may have been working for Acnologia by any chance, Gajeel?"

"I figured the possibility, but I really have no idea at this point," Gajeel exhaled. "We were called sayin' we had to take out Zancrow, so we did as we were told. That was the only hit-and-run we've ever gotten from Hades though. If I _was _working for Acnologia, I'd give Hades a piece of my mind personally about hiding that asshat Zancrow. Besides, Acnologia is a particular guy when it comes to business."

"Are you saying that this isn't your first time killing someone?" Silver breathed. When no response came in the next few heartbeats, he threw his hands in the air and gruffed out in annoyance. "Unbelievable. Makarov, you seriously expect me to treat this man like he was one of your own? I don't see anyone from Fairy Tail willing to kill - a mobster or not - right off the bat!"

"Consider it something you can relate to, when you're called into work and you only want to stay home with your family," Makarov suggested. "Not everyone is so different, once you think about it. Gajeel is really no different from you when it comes to working at late hours, am I correct, Silver?"

"You can't expect me to be buddy-cop with him!"

"Then, it's a good thing you're not on the clock, hm?" Makarov did his cheesy grin under his mustache. Remembering his current availability, Silver ran his hand through his hair and groaned. "Now, stop being a whiny piss-baby and let me do the talking. Gajeel isn't from _your side of the street._"

Gajeel snickered without looking at the two men and Silver's eyes narrowed at him, making Makarov sigh. "Gajeel, please behave, my boy. You're still within a police station, may I remind you."

"Yeah, yeah," Gajeel snorted before forcing himself to calm down. "So, you guys are on the hunt for Acnologia, I'm guessing, considering Fullbuster actually walks in here like he owned the place… You guys some kind've of secret club?"

"We have already explained it to your sister," Makarov said. "If you and Silver want to try and get along for me, then maybe he can tell you the whole shebang. He's already pals with Juvia."

Gajeel glanced to the two men with an unamused look in his eye. "Juvia ain't gonna have any _problems _about this whole 'shebang' you're talking about, is she?"

"Of course not. Only this man here knows what's really going on and he knows what can happen if he messes up," Makarov promised. "Juvia is in very safe hands with us, we promise. Her injuries have been taken cared of and she's healing very well."

"Good, then there's no problem," Gajeel nodded approvingly. The man kicked his legs off of the table and sat up, facing the two men properly with his elbows on the table. "What else do you and Captain Bacon want to know?"

"C-..? _Captain Bacon?" _Silver wheezed, trying his best to stay still while Makarov and Gajeel remained calm.

Makarov smiled appreciatively and tilt his head to the side. "I always knew you were a good kid, Gajeel! Welcome to Fairy Tail."

"I don't want a jacket, thank you very much," Gajeel said bitterly. "No stickers either."

Makarov chuckled. "Alright. Now, where were we…"

=xxx=

Erza Scarlet Fernandes was confused.

Sitting at the end of Mirajane's bar, helping herself to a smoothie that her best friend made with all the best fruits the redhead adored (not to mention a tiny, tiny hint of cheesecake for a little extra love), Erza sipped through the straw slowly as she watched a familiar blonde woman on top of the hood of a Mitsubishi Lancer.

Something was off about the blonde woman, Erza noticed from feet away. Ever since Lucy and Natsu finished taking care of Makarov's ride, Lucy stayed dutifully on top of Natsu's car patiently while he worked underneath and in Erza's observational view. Erza's eyes squinted carefully at the young woman, seeing how Lucy had a _silly _grin on her face and a healthy flush to her cheeks. She looked relaxed, but there was something about it that didn't make sense…

Watching Natsu jerk under the car and push himself out, everyone looked to see Natsu's face with a oil stain under his nose, nearly resembling a mustache a drunken idiot would have drawn on his passed out body. Erza watched as Lucy looked down to her partner groaning in annoyance and pout her way, she burst into the most angelic laughter Erza has ever heard from the new kid of the gang.

'_Oh, there it is,' _Erza's eyes narrowed with a little twitch.

"Erza-chan," Mirajane sang as she came down the stairs that held Makarov's office. Laxus followed dutifully behind his fiancee as they made their way to the bar, making Erza spin around on her stool to face her friend. "What's got your attention, hm?"

"Nothing," Erza said in a monotone.

Mirajane giggled and shook her head, not even trying to pester the redhead into properly answering her question. "Alright, if you say so," she sighed with a smile. Holding up her hands, Mirajane displayed a file with a red stamp on it with the gang's insignia. "Anyway, before you go off and cuddle with Jellal, Makarov called and wanted your team to look over this file for future races."

Taking the file, Erza flipped through it and instantly recognized the content. "These are criminal records of everyone outside of Fairy Tail."

Mirajane nodded, still smiling. "Master Makarov wants you all to study the racers who are attending in the races more than usual," she explained. "Also, he would like us to keep tally of who actually races."

"Did he find something?" Erza asked. "I haven't seen him this afternoon."

Laxus was the one to answer. "Apparently Fullbuster called his old man in when he found out that Redfox was locked at his station. He brought Juvia over there, or something."

Erza blinked, utterly surprised. "You serious?"

Mirajane nodded. "Don't worry about it. Gray got a busted lip when Gajeel saw him, but Juvia stopped him from making too much of a mess. If I'm quoting this correctly, I believe Master Makarov said that 'it was like Juvia would raise hell. She probably got it from her _mother's _side of the family, no?' Or something along the lines."

"That's about right, Mira," Laxus agreed.

"Doesn't surprise me that Gray went with…" Erza mumbled under her breath, shaking her head.

"Anyway, they're getting more information about what happened and something about our special quest with Acnologia, so he would like all S-class racers to touch up on their history on everyone," Mirajane explained further. "He's not saying exactly who, but I'm sure he trusts you guys to figure out who to watch out for."

"Did he say what's gonna happen to Gajeel?" Erza tilt her head.

"Levy was in the office with us, as requested by Master himself," Mirajane pressed a finger to her lip. "I'm sure they'll figure something out, but he asked Laxus-kun and I to give you the file ASAP."

"I see. Thank you very much, Mira," Erza smiled to her friend. "I'll handle the rest of this from here," she pointedly fanned herself with the file, making Mirajane grin before looping her arm with Laxus' strong bicep. Watching her friends stroll away to the collected cars, where the older gang members were conversing about tires, Erza exhaled coolly before spinning in her stool one more time to see Natsu trying to scrub the oil off of his face and Lucy still giggling.

"Lucy! Natsu! C'mon over here," Erza called in a strong voice, startling Lucy instantly.

Natsu dorkily got up from his board, never stopping the scrubbing of his face as Lucy hopped off the car to follow her partner over to the bar. Erza was unfazed when Natsu stubbed his foot against Azlack's toolbox and stoppled back into a stroll while Lucy sighed, swinging the rag he was using over his shoulder.

Erza's fingers drummed the file patiently until Natsu and Lucy stood infront of her. Holding out the file specifically to the pink haired man, she kept still on her spot. "Master Makarov wants you to reread all of these criminal files for the next races, count heads on whoever is participating and take note, Natsu," she explained.

Natsu took the file with his cleaner hand and made a face. "Ahh? But I read these not that long ago!" he whined.

"You're the one out of all of us who retains the least amount of information, which is why I'm making you read it first," Erza said seriously, tapping a finger to the file and pushing it closer to his chest. "Study it over and over, Natsu. Take notes with blue ink if you have to, I'm gonna be quizzing you on this later."

"Really!" Natsu nearly cried, his eyes filling with tears that won't shed.

Erza nodded. "Get started. The sooner you start, the sooner you can stop," she said. "And don't even think about hiding from me like last time, boy. You know I always find you."

Natsu sighed deeply and slouched his shoulders. "Fine," he groaned. "Come on, Luce, I gonna need some help."

"Nah-ah," Erza crossed her arms. "Lucy is going to hang out with me for a while while you study. You get distracted too easily, now get going to your apartment."

Natsu did a childish stomp before painfully making his way to the elevator, all while Lucy watched with a apologetic gaze and a small smile on her face. Once Natsu entered the car and the door closed, Lucy looked back to Erza and offered a more friendly smile.

"Now what, Erza?" Lucy said all-too-chirpy.

Erza smiled maturely as she got up from her spot, beckoning Lucy to follow her as she made her way to her designated parking spot, where she shared with her husband and a large toolbox. It wasn't as grand or organized like Levy's auto-station, but it was secluded and alone from the rest of the whole garage area. Erza's Toyota Supra sat naked from all of its exterior decorations next to Jellal's Dodge Charger, some tools sitting around and some empty plastic cups that held either water or a carbonated drink.

"So what's up, Erza?" Lucy asked, unsure of the redhead's plan on bringing her here to this area. She watched as Erza casually hopped to the hood of her ride and made room for Lucy, patting the space to silently ask her to join. Lucy swallowed as she raised one knee upward and balanced herself on the hood with her hands.

"I want you to be honest with me, Lucy," Erza said sweetly. "Are you and Natsu using protection?"

_**THUMP!**_

Erza looked over the edge of her car to see Lucy lying back on the cemented floor, her face pale and hands twitching in horror. The redhead blinked in confusion as the blonde stuttered hard, her hips jerking.

"W-w-wha-_what_?" Lucy wheezed harshly.

Erza tilt her head to the side. "Are you alright, Lucy? You didn't hurt your head, did you -?"

"You're asking if I'm using _what?" _Lucy shrieked, sitting up so fast that Erza nearly bonked her forehead with the other.

"Protection," Erza said slowly, wondering if Lucy heard her wrong. "Like condoms, birth control or even -"

"Y-you think Natsu and..._Natsu and I are..?" _Lucy breathed thickly and swallowed back tears. Climbing up to hang on the car, Lucy's eyes flashed with horror and shock. "What on earth made you think we w-were...you know, doing the _thing?"_

"You mean sex -" Lucy's hand covered Erza's mouth quickly. "_Mmmph_?"

"Natsu and I are _not _doing the _thing!" _Lucy said through clenched teeth, growling with unshed tears in her eyes. "We are _not!"_

Erza blinked before carefully removing the blonde's hand from her mouth. "Lucy, it's perfectly fine to talk about it. You're at that age where it's normal to have or not to have sex, really," Erza shrugged. "You don't need to worry about talking about that stuff - especially with me, since it's either me or Mira who give the talk to all of the others."

Lucy's face reddened even deeper as she shook her head frantically. "I-I have no intentions on having the talk with you, Erza!" she peeped. "N-Not that I wouldn't like to have you talk to me about it - I'm s-sure you're pretty w-well informed with all this...sex talk, but I can promise you that I am _not _having sex with _anyone!"_

"It's not with anyone, it's with Natsu," Erza said plain as day, nearly making Lucy slam her head on the hood of the car. "Or...I suppose you're actually not having it. With Natsu, I guess."

"You're killing me Erza…"

"I've just noticed that you were behaving differently," Erza shrugged with a small smile on her face, finally seeing the humor in all of this. When Lucy stiffened in shock at the observation, Erza laughed lightly and pat Lucy's flushed cheeks a bit too hard, making her wince at the contact. "You have that fluttery look in your eye after something dreamy happens between you and a lover, and you and Natsu are pretty close."

"Ahh...wha…?" Lucy's face smushed in Erza's hands, making her speech a bit flustered. "I-I mean...we did. W-we did do something, but it wasn't _that. _When we were under the car together, we kinda k-kissed."

"Oh… _Ohhh," _Erza grinned all too naughtily for Lucy's liking, making the blonde flush deeper when the woman hauled her closer and snuggled their cheeks together. "So you _kissed, _hm? I'm sure such a sweet, innocent Lucy can't keep it bottled up inside, huh?"

"W-what?" Lucy spluttered.

Erza laughed joyfully and pinched Lucy's cheek. "C'mon, sweetheart, tell me about your first kiss!"

"How could you think this was my first kiss?" Lucy snapped, completely offended by Erza's claim.

"Honey," Erza deadpanned to her seriously. "If you think any experienced woman would fidget around like she had a dirty little secret, it wouldn't be about her _first kiss." _Lucy's heart nearly stopped at what she was suggesting, considering her earlier talk of what she thought was going on between her and Natsu. "And, of course, I'm sure you haven't had a lot of boyfriends or hookups, considering your background. No judgement there, Lucy, you know I love you."

"Oh my God…"

=xxx=

Lucy entered her shared apartment later on that night, considering that there wasn't a race she and Natsu were assigned to for the night. After helping Cana and her father prep their car and Mirajane pick out a pair of shoes for her night out at the tracks with Laxus (even though her fiance stated she wasn't even going to be leaving the car anyway, damn it), Lucy bid everyone else a good night and hurried to the elevator. It was really to get Erza to miss her when she finished decorating her car for the night before she were to leave the team out for the race, not wanting to resume the conversation that was forced upon her that she snuck away from with the excuse she needed to use the restroom.

Lucy Heartfilia was more than willing to admit that she sucked at direct conversations that were about her personal business.

Closing the door behind her, Lucy turned around to see Natsu's body sprawled on the floor of the living room and different papers and files scattered everywhere. Smiling, Lucy shook her head at the sight and removed her shoes before going over to his body holding up a sheet of paper above his face.

"I'm home, Natsu," she announced casually, noticing the deep concentration on his face: narrowed eyes burning holes at the paper, mouth in a deep frown with puffed cheeks and a twitch in his brow. Yeah, he was studying.

"Mrrhrr," Natsu grunted out, not looking away from the file as she plopped down beside him cross-legged.

"Mind if I join you?" she asked him with a smile.

Without looking away from the paper, Natsu made another grunting noise of approval for her presence. Lucy giggled and limped forward, burying her face on his rock hard abdomen and sighed. His tank smelled like car oil and metal, making Lucy's cheeks flush at the familiar yet comfortable scent she has grown used to for the past few months. Turning her cheek and nuzzling gently, Lucy closed her eyes and let a tiny smile sneak on her lips.

Natsu noticed her behavior, glancing down her way before putting the paper down carefully. His hand gently rest atop of her blonde hair, coaxing her brown eyes to open just a tiny bit. He gave her his dorky smile at the odd angle from the floor yet he definitely didn't show how straining it was on his neck.

"So what did you do with Erza? If she kept you around for so long, it had to be something important, right?"

Lucy's face went beet red, her face frowning. Suddenly, she shoved her face into his abs, trying to bury herself and making muffled shrieking noises; apparently it made him ticklish as he jerked for a second and sat up, catching her head from rolling off his stomach.

"What happened, Luce?" Natsu panicked, feeling her yelling against his stomach harder. "You're not hurt, are you?"

She shook her head against his stomach, eventually peeling her face away to reveal tears falling down her cheeks and the most ridiculous grin on her face. Natsu blinked in confusion before resuming his panicked reaction by holding her face with both hands.

"Luce, speak to me! You're not drunk, are you?" he sobbed in worry, his eyes shining with worried tears. "I told Lisanna to not give you the cinnamon vodka! I know it tastes like pie and all that, but you can't stop having it with ice cream!"

"Moron!" Lucy laughed hard as she pressed her palm against his face, forcing him to straighten and make a gurgling noise. "I'm not drunk, you'd smell the alcohol!"

"Why are you crying!" Natsu nearly shouted in horror. "You're crying! What did Erza do to you, you poor soul?"

"Y-you wouldn't believe it," Lucy began laughing again, her chuckles snorting every once in awhile before she caught her breath for a moment. "Oh Jesus, Natsu, I was freaking out so bad. You wouldn't b-believe what happened after you left!"

Natsu appeared to be waiting for her to continue, only to have her laugh again and fall backwards on the floor. "_Christ! _I can't believe it actually happened, gah!" she shrilled with amusement, covering her mouth with both of her hands.

"What is it?" Natsu whined. "_Luuuce, please tell meee!"_

"Okay, okay," Lucy breathed deeply, her cheeks bright red from laughing so hard as she helped herself into a sitting position. "Okay, so after you left, Erza took me to her corner of the garage…"

"Oh shit, that sounds more serious than funny," Natsu paled a bit.

Lucy waved her hands. "No, it wasn't! So Erza takes me there, right? I thought she was going to give me a special job, but she wanted to give me the freakin' _talk!"_

Waiting for his reaction, Lucy went silent with a happy grin on her face. Once a minute or two passed, Lucy looked to Natsu to see him staring at her with absolute confusion.

"Natsu?"

"And?" he pressed on, making her blink. "Talk about what?"

The blonde woman felt like a gong echoed inside her head, making her lip twitch as she furrowed her brows at him. "The talk. You know, the _talk?"_

"I'm not following, Lucy. Is this some kind of girl code, or something -?"

"The sex talk, Natsu! Tell me you've had the sex talk, right?"

It took Natsu another few long seconds before it finally clicked, making his eyes round like plates and ears going a little bit pink as he let out a long '_Ohh!' _to confirm he was on the right track. Lucy nearly facepalmed herself when Natsu began fidgeting in his spot on the floor.

"Yeah, so Erza thought that you and I were doing some explicit things," Lucy went on with a sigh, holding her face now in embarrassment. "Really, it's funny when you think about it after a while."

"Why did she think we were doing the...diddly?" Natsu used a censored word that nearly made Lucy keel over in horror - and she thought she came up with horrible make-up words for sexual content!

"Oh my God... She said I had a look on my face, or something," she blurted out with a facepalm. "Like, I guess my face looked like I was _way _too happy than normal, so she just assumed it was -"

"Wait, wait," Natsu shushed her by covering her mouth with both hands, making her blink then narrow her eyes at him at being interrupted. "You looked way too happy? From kissing?"

Lucy tugged his hands away from her mouth, taking a breath. "Yeah, if you were listening to me, Erza said I -"

"I didn't see it!"

Lucy blinked at him in confusion before narrowing her eyes. "What do you mean you didn't see? There was nothing to see, Natsu."

"Of course there was!" Natsu whined with a pouting lip. "If Erza were to notice something, then it had to be important to see! Erza just doesn't notice anything, Luce, you gotta realize that."

Both stared at each other for a while until Natsu's whining expression changed. It was weird to Lucy seeing his brows from a furrow to rise on his forehead, his eyes that were once upset suddenly sparkle; even his pouting lips turned into the biggest, most stupid, snarky grin that she has ever seen from him.

Then, it clicked.

"Natsu," she warned stiffly, yet her body defied her tone as she tried to lean away from his approaching figure. "Natsu, don't you -."

"You _liiike _my kisses, Lucy," Natsu snickered naughtily. "You also said we would 'argue' about you trying to tempt me, remember?"

"Shut up, Natsu," Lucy peeped as she readied to smack his head, but he easily caught her wrist before it would even touch his cheek. "Natsu!"

"I really wanna see the face Erza was talkin' about," he purred, his eyes flashing fire as he set a determined gaze that made her heart pound hard and her cheeks flush. "Obviously you have been thinking about what we did under the car, huh?"

"I-i-it was _just _a kiss, you m-moron!" Lucy stuttered, wriggling on her butt to give them space.

"Erza didn't take it that way," Natsu wiggled his brow as he got on his knees and Lucy just knew what he was thinking as he shook his butt just the littlest bit.

"Oh _no you don't -!"_

"_PUCKER UP, LUCE! HERE COMES THE COOTIE MONSTER!"_

Levy stopped when she heard a hard collision beside her, lifting her head head from her cell phone to look at Natsu's decorated door. Blinking, Levy barely heard the scrambling on the other side and Lucy's shrilling cry before a distinct _thump! _of Natsu's head getting whacked was heard.

The mechanic decided that, considering Lucy had smacked Natsu, it wasn't anything to be worried about - but she will pester the blonde later for whatever was going on. Continuing on down the hallway towards the elevator, Levy had just finished working with Lisanna on assorting outfits from her collection of clothes to share with Juvia.

As much as Cana _obsessed _with dressing her cousin up like a doll, Juvia still lacked proper clothes such as sweaters that would fit her and tank tops that she knew her racing relative prefered wearing in general. Since Cana lacked less revealing and skimpy tops or even owned a sweat that didn't have the sleeves ripped from it, Lisanna found her collection of clothes she was going to donate and offered Levy to peek through to see if Juvia would consider any to keep - Lisanna was a bit larger than Juvia, but Levy could tell that her cousin would be comfortable and work the size decently.

Remembering that Gray and Juvia would be making their way back from the police station (Makarov was going to be dropped off after filling out papers for Gajeel, in secrecy), Levy left Lisanna's apartment to go make her way down to the garage and wait for their arrival.

Recalling how she screamed pure joy at hearing her boyfriend's voice through the phone, Levy grinned sheepishly to herself as she pressed the button on the elevator. She felt herself ready to sleep for a whole day knowing that both of her favorite people in the world were still living and breathing just fine.

She nearly began crying in Makarov's office earlier hearing him talk to her directly, as he usually did when he was ready to be scolded. It was when Gajeel told her to quit the waterworks that she laughed joyfully and openly said that she wished Gajeel was here so she would punch him and kiss him, all while Mirajane and Laxus, and whoever was in the lockup room heard.

'_However Juju-chan already beat me to the punch, a kiss will have to settle for later,' _she reminded herself at how Gajeel groaned and mentioned the said blue haired racer is already causing bruises on his face and chest. Grinning, Levy held her phone to her chest at how _alive _he sounded.

Speaking over the phone in Makarov's office for a good few hours, Levy worked with Makarov, Gajeel, Juvia and Officer Fullbuster on what was going to happen next. As much as it was going to be rather difficult with the two S-Class Phantom Lords now knowing what was happening on both ends of the good guys and bad guys, they seemed willing to accept deals and results like any other business deal or conversation they would have back at the bar…

All that Levy would think about now is that Gajeel and Juvia were closer to her than before. No more sneaking out into a different city to enjoy private, intimate times with her lover from her gang; no longer would Levy need to rely on being driven to the tracks to see her cousin's smile and look her over to see if she was doing well. Sure, it was still a major adjustment to what was happening in the now, but this was more of a dream come true to Levy McGarden.

Of all the horrible things that happened to her while she was in college, being arrested and disowned by her very own father, Levy honestly thought that she wouldn't feel the comfort of family like she once thought she had in her possession.

But now, it was better than what Levy had before any of that happened.

Levy McGarden was happy and no one was going to take that away from her.

Riding the elevator down, Levy read the text she received from Mirajane of Porlyusica coming to do a check-up on Juvia. Even the mention of the scary old woman didn't take the big grin off her face as she replied to Mirajane with approval and maybe too many emojis of hearts and smiley faces.

Levy knew from that moment on that, no matter what was going to happen next in her chapter, she was going to be ready for it with her own armor and sword at hand.

Because, if anything she learned from her beloved cousin and darling boyfriend over the years, is that Levy is a stronger woman than she was before.

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=xxx=

AUTHOR'S ENDING NOTE - I personally can see Levy being a fanatic with texting and all the weird emojis she can find.


	16. Chapter 16

I'm going to be honest and say that I definitely rewrote this chapter twice? Whoops, sorry-not-sorry. I've been super busy working to earn money again and wanted to make sure I wrote everything properly for this chapter...when things are about to get good (I hope).

Please, please find time to Review, Follow, Favorite or do nothing of the sort and have a wonderful day! I love you guys and I'm so happy to be home and back into writing more often.

=xxx=

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R_i_**d**e '_**e**_m _H_**a**r_**d**_

Chapter Sixteen

Gajeel entered the Phantom Lord bar to find the Totomaru jump in fright with Sue and Boze stirring on the bar's countertop, waking up to Jose tossing his chair behind him when he stood up too quickly and Sol dropping his glass of water. The racer blinked before closing the metal door behind him and walk further into the room, going over to a still sleeping Sue and Boze and putting each hand on their shoulders, carefully waking them up. When Sue opened her eyes and saw Gajeel, tears swelled as she flung her arms around his torso tightly, crying her eyes out while her relative woke with confusion.

Gajeel simply patted the young woman's head to calm her down, all while the grown men began to freak out.

"Gajeel-sama!" Totomaru gasped as he placed down his rag and bottle he was polishing and moved around the counter, grabbing the racer's sleeve urgently. He didn't recognize Gajeel's hoodie, but he paid more attention to the wrapping around his right arm. "Gajeel-sama, where have you been? You've been gone for _days_, what -!"

"I need you all to pack whatever you can fit in bags," Gajeel informed the waking teenagers and the bartender. "Leave your cell phones and cars here, I want you all to take Jose and Sol's cars to Aria."

"Aria?" Jose raised his brows. "Gajeel, what happened to you, kid? I got a call from Totomaru that you and Juvia didn't come back. Where is she -?"

"I'm giving you guys twenty minutes to get whatever you can together, and that includes whatever money you got stashed here, Jose," Gajeel said seriously to his boss. Looking down to the two younger adults, he patted their backs. "C'mon you two, go pack up as much clothes as possible and ride with Jose."

"Is Juvia-sama okay?" Sue asked quickly. "Is she? Where is Juvia-sama?"

"She's alright, I promise. Just go upstairs and pack with Boze," he instructed, more careful this time as he helped Sue off her seat and nudged Boze to get up as well. "Go on, hurry up as fast as you can. Don't make me kick your butts."

Without another word, Sue bolted up the stairs and Boze took one last look at Gajeel before following, leaving the adults alone. Gajeel went behind the bar counter and knelt down to the till safe hidden beside the icebox, unlocking it with a pin and opening it quickly; taking out counted stacks of cash and tossing them to the counter, ignoring how Totomaru watched him with absolute confusion.

"What's going on, Gajeel-sama?" Totomaru asked once Gajeel emptied the whole safe and turned to a tinted jar of olive and cracking that open, shaking out a rolled up collection of bills in a rubber band. "What are you doing?"

"You need to take as much cash possible to Aria, got it? I don't know how long you guys will be in hiding, but I won't risk anyone breaking into the bar lookin' for money," Gajeel explained simply.

"Why?"

Gajeel placed the jar somewhat hard on the counter, looking to all three men remaining in the room seriously. "Just listen to me and do as I say, got it? I can't explain it all but I need you guys to get out of here incase something happens." The large man began stacking the cash into a duffle bag found under the counter, usually to store stained uniforms quickly and toss it to the washers.

"Does this have to do with the delivery after you two didn't come back?" Jose asked with furrowed brows.

Gajeel froze from tossing a roll of money and shot a hard stare at his boss, who made a face. "When you two didn't come back, Hades called and had someone drop off the case of money. He said that you two never showed up for the payment; saying how impolite it was to be stood up like that."

"Hand me the phone Hades gave you," Gajeel demanded as he held out his gloved hand stiffly, making Jose blink with confusion. However, the gang boss didn't object the behavior as he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the black phone Gajeel had given him weeks and weeks prior with no problem.

Once Gajeel reached to grab the phone, he instantly smashed it against the hardtop of the bar counter, making all three men jump in horror at the action at seeing the screen shattered and the phone break into three pieces. Gajeel took the phone's battery and proceeded to try and break it in half as well.

"What are you _doing_?" Sol panicked.

"Savin' your asses from gettin' killed," Gajeel stated bluntly as he zipped the bag rather harshly and shoved it towards Totomaru.

Totomaru eventually took the bag of cash, eyeing the man worriedly. "What do you mean, Gajeel-sama?"

The racer slid his leather jacket off to reveal his arm, now removed of its bandages and placed with thin, tape-like bandages to keep the deep cuts and jagged wounds closed and less likely to reopen. There were bruises from the juncture of his neck and shoulder and blotches around his arms, yet he was seeming to make himself mobile with it. Totomaru's eyes widened at the sight while Jose gripped on to a chair with both hands.

"Juvia had it a lot worse than me. They tried to drown her after draggin' her out of the driver's window," he said tightly.

"I thought you said she was okay," Sol whisper shouted, glancing for a moment to the stairs for the younger racers to come down at any minute.

"The magic word was _tried_, you French bonbon of a doorknob," Gajeel snarled darkly, making the other flinch away and hide behind Jose. "That Hades tried to get us killed for whatever reason, and now I want you guys outta the city and as far away as possible before someone actually does get killed! Now, stop asking questions and _get your shit together_!"

Jose glanced around Gajeel to the bag of cash, then to Totomaru before shutting his eyes and digging into his coat pocket. "Totomaru, get the money out of the safe in my office," he said as he held out his collection of keys to the bartender. "Code is 0-7-0-4. Be sure to take out the bank records and the black folder inside as well and put it in the bag."

Totomaru simply nodded and took the keys, heading up the stairs while Jose ordered Sol to collect the pile of cash hiding upstairs.

Once the teenagers packed their bags with clothes and some of Totomaru's textbooks, the ex-college professor having his ride piled with cases, boxes and some bottles of _very expensive _alcohol, Gajeel helped Sue and Boze into Jose's own car. The whole ordeal lasted for only forty-five minutes, giving Gajeel more praise for the two buckling in the backseat while Sol got into the passenger seat.

"You two don't give Aria any trouble while staying at his place, hear me?" Gajeel instructed them carefully. "He may look like a badass, but break one of his plates or damage anything, he's going to cry and I won't hear the end of it."

"We're not _kids_, Gajeel-sama," Sue pouted and crossed her arms. "You don't need to treat us like we are troubling brats, you know."

"But that's what you two are, troubling brats," Gajeel snickered teasingly once Sue gasped and stuck her tongue out at him. "I'll have Juvia send you two a message, but I want you guys to listen and behave to Totomaru. Do your fuckin' homework."

"Yeah..." Boze and Sue sighed and slumped in their seats.

"And, I'm talkin' to you, Boze."

"I heard you the first time!" Boze whined before Sue told him to quiet down. Gajeel closed the back door once Sol settled himself in the car and head back towards the front door of the bar.

All of the neon lights were shut down, only having the parking lot lamp on the other side provide the most light besides the headlights of the two cars. Gajeel had apparently driven a black Sedan with a bizzare license plate and a blinking accessory on the dashboard; however no one ever questioned where Gajeel's trusty Hellcat went, even with the racer's short attitude keeping anyone from asking to begin with. It was weird to see the Phantom Lord bar to look so deserted and lacking commotion of different people, yet it was for the best.

Jose was left outside by the bar, Totomaru having just entered his car after planting Aria's address into his portable GPS. It was old but still worked dutifully, despite not being used for so long since the last time Totomaru raced…

Gajeel shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned against the brick wall of the bar, not sparing a glance to Jose who watched him throughout the whole time. "You know," Jose said quietly, "the smart thing for me to do is to order you to get Juvia from wherever the hell she is and get you to come with us to Aria's, with whatever is happening."

Gajeel didn't say anything back, and Jose took a deep breath. "But, knowing the both of you too well for my liking, you wouldn't listen to me in the first place about getting out of this city."

"You and Hades were buds, huh?" Gajeel sniffed darkly and Jose closed his eyes.

"It was way back when I was partnered with Makarov and things went to shit," he answered numbly. "I haven't seen him in a long time, but he's not someone to try and get even with, if he tried to have you off the maps. Although, I didn't think he'd ever have the right mind to try and take out someone as you and your sister - he had a soft spot for family members working together as well, even if he never showed it."

"Huh."

"Things were different back then, as it is now. I just hope you know what you're doing by staying here alone, with whoever is helping you out," Jose raised a brow and glanced to the black car. "I do expect you to at least give me a call once in awhile with whatever is happening; let me know if anyone set my bar on fire, or you get stuck in the toilet again like last new years."

Gajeel made a grunting noise, but not at all bothered by him bringing up a rather unpleasant memory of when Gajeel had too much to drink and didn't accept Juvia to watch over him when he said he was going to bed.

"You know, you do remind me a lot of your dad," Jose pointed out. "Which is another reason why I know better than to try and drag you to the car."

"Just spit it out, Jose," Gajeel told him. "You know you can't do the sappy nice-chat to save a life."

The older man scratched his mustache. "I was never a dad to any kids that I know of, and I know I was never the kind of person to set an example for you or your sister growing up. But, if this means that things are going to make it harder for you two to stay with Phantom Lord, I just want to at least let you know that...I would try again, if I ever had the chance, to be more understanding and nicer. I know that I'm kind of a selfish gang man who likes his white sugar and green cash."

Gajeel glanced to Jose with a impassive expression. "Just coming to terms now of what you kids go through for each other, no one should ever try to take you out for whatever reason that may be," Jose shrugged. "I'm not a good person, but I'm not stupid enough to know that there is something wrong with the world and you're stuck in the middle of it. You two just grew up _too fast_."

Gajeel waited a moment to make sure that he was finished, taking a deep breath and leaning further back into the wall. "You're not all that bad, you old fart," Gajeel stated. "You just have your head shoved so far up your ass that you annoy the shit out of me."

Jose held still while Gajeel rest his head to gaze up at the city skyline. "For what it's worth, you knew that I would have been separated from Juvia, if you didn't take us in. You gave us a home when our dad was gone when no one else did. You let us grow up, eat and become part of something that made us worth something in this shitty neighborhood, right? Is that enough to make you at least a decent human being?

"It's like you said to me all those years ago," Gajeel leaned off the wall and smirked at Jose. "My dad ain't a hero, and neither is anyone else. You were no father-figure to any of us, much less of a gang leader either, but you were one hell of a ice breaker when it came to the real world. Props to you for being the poster child for reality."

Jose stared at Gajeel for a moment before giving him a defeated half-grin. "You're something else, you crabby shit. Both you and your little sister are something entirely different."

"We get that a lot."

Jose hummed and took a step towards the waiting vehicles. "And you're still sure…"

Gajeel waved a hand and made an irritated expression. "Get out of here before I ask ya if you _do _have kids we don't know about."

Jose only nodded as he made his way to his own car before Gajeel called out to call Aria's phone to make sure he is awake by the time they arrive to his home outside of the city. Gajeel Redfox watched while the two cars leave the parking lot and drive out into the streets, waiting a few long minutes before he found it okay to move from his spot.

Looking around the area for any suspicious activity, Gajeel walked over to his borrowed car as the window rolled down to expose the petite mechanic he has been dating for years smiling worriedly to him.

"What did I say? Told ya I didn't need anyone watching over me with Makarov on the phone, see?" Gajeel presented his hands like an announcement to her. "I told you everything was going to be fine with the plan. No need to be fussy."

"Did they ask where you were?" she said, resting her cheek against her palm on the sill of the window, her brows furrowed.

"I made it clear that, as long as they go out to Aria's place, they don't need to worry about anything. No one asked any questions. I'll explain whatever I need to them later, when I know they've made it."

"What about food and stuff?" Levy asked next.

"Totomaru always keeps the fridge and pantry packed. Got canned food, bread, ramen, and some healthy junk the squirt makes Totomaru buy for me to eat - like protein shakes or something," Gajeel tried to list off everything he could think of to ensure that his girlfriend had nothing to worry about. "I know how to do my own laundry, make my own food, brush my own teeth and everything."

"You know I just worry you being alone out here," Levy whispered with a slight pout, looking away from him. "So you can be allowed to worry for Juju-chan, but I can't worry about you?"

"I didn't say that." Gajeel reached with his bandaged arm and held her soft cheek, turning it his way so their eyes could meet. Since they were alone, Gajeel found his own little freedom to be openly affectionate and try to woo his girl by being carefully intimate. "Reason why I worry for the kid is because _she's_ a bit of a daredevil when it comes to being left alone."

"You're the same way, you idiot," Levy added in as well. "Don't even get me started with you, Gajeel, the _King_ of Daredeviling like a _maniac_."

"It's not like I'm going to be going out lookin' for them fuckers alone, Levy. Jesus, I barely made it out last time I was being chased by them before I got myself arrested." Gajeel lightly bonked his own head on the rim of the window, groaning at the memory of behaving like a crabby teenager with the cops by not talking. "Besides, this bar is tough on taking some damage. No one is going to try to break in with that hunk of metal for a door and thick walls."

"I still would rather have you stay with us right away," Levy said rather flat, her eyes narrowed.

"I know, Shrimp," Gajeel snickered as he pulled Levy's head his way, pressing a firm kiss to her hairline. "But, as I told you and that old man you work for, I gotta clean up this shit in here before I head over. Don't want anyone finding anything they shouldn't to put anyone in my gang in prison."

Levy closed her eyes and gripped the window of the car, nuzzling her head against Gajeel's face. "Just don't puts around while you're at it, too. I'm going to be counting!"

"For every day it takes for me to burn shit, pack stuff into storage for everyone and lock this place up, you can have your way with me in any way you want for those days," Gajeel offered with a smirk, feeling how Levy froze. The woman instantly pulled back to reveal her wide eyes and red cheeks, causing him to snicker. "How does that sound? And I stick to my word."

Levy's brown eyes narrowed into naughty slits, her lips pouting somewhat with irritation, but also to hide her excitement. "I get to pick roleplay, too?"

"Anything you want, baby."

Levy thought it over for a moment before sighing. "Fine, then take all the time you need, then. It's been a while since I got to use my handcuffs last time!"

"That's true."

Levy's eyes sparkled with joy. "Can we try out a leather whip, too?"

Gajeel snapped quickly. "One thing at a time, okay? Ya know I'm fine with trying it out at hotels and stuff, since we pay for the room, but I ain't gonna get that crazy inside Fairy Tail's garage. It's a pain in the ass enough to have Makarov sign me out of jail!"

"I'm just teasing you, handsome," Levy winked as she gripped his studded chin, calming him down in a instant.

"Crazy spice shrimp," Gajeel grumbled before sighing. "Let me drive you back, alright? Everyone is going to think I'm holding ya hostage here if I don't hurry."

"I wouldn't mind that so much," Levy smiled sweetly. "It'd be less lonely for you, that's for sure!"

Gajeel gave a agreeing grunt before pressing a kiss on Levy's waiting lips. Once she puckers those cute, pouty lips, he could never resist them when she behaves so openly around him with no one around. Some of the best things of having the whole bar to himself were these little moments, as well as a comforting silence without the annoying drunks and rowdy teenagers that only really listen to his stepsister.

Pulling back, Gajeel pat the top of Levy's head affectionately, loving the way how her eyes narrowed and puffing her cheeks at him. "Let me drive you back, okay? Makarov said something about giving me my own cell phone, as long as I don't lose it or destroy it…"

"That's fine," Levy smiled warmly. She waited as Gajeel rounded over to the driver's side of the black car and opened the door to slip inside. "By the way, Juju-chan got her stitches removed by Porlyusica. She seems to be ready to go out and go to the races."

"I want her to stay at the garage for a while longer," Gajeel said casually. "I don't want her going anywhere near the streets."

Levy tilt her head at him. "You haven't told Ju-chan who tried to kill you two, did you?"

_Bonk!_

"Are you okay, Gajeel-kun?" Levy gasped as her boyfriend plopped into the seat, holding his head after colliding it with the rim of the car. She reached over to inspect the bump, holding his large forearm in her dainty, yet strong hands.

Gajeel rolled his eyes and groaned. "Of course I didn't tell her," he grumbled. "Especially when she can try to jack a car and drive off on a hit-and-run spree to get back at 'em!"

"You're being dramatic," Levy rolled her eyes next. "Ju-chan can't get ahold of any keys to the cars, even if she pulls her kitten face."

"She knows how to _hotwire_ them, Shrimp." When Levy's eyes went wide with shock, Gajeel groaned and slumped against his seat. "This is the same woman who has a 'hobby' of making explosives, Levy! Who do you think your cousin is?"

"Did you teach her that?" Levy hissed.

"Of course not, she figured it out herself. Just like everything else that is probably illegal in regards to fire, wires and anything that can possibly kill her. She probably gets it from your side of the family..."

"And what's that suppose to mean?" Levy raised a brow at him, making him flinch at the sudden change in her tone.

"I meant that you both like to work on dangerous levels..._Miss FBI_," Gajeel hummed the last part rather confidently. "When were ya gonna tell me about that, hm?"

"When we're celebrating our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, with a bunch of kids and a ugly dog named after a favorite movie character," Levy flirted back with a wink. "But really, she has been having some trouble with sleeping sometimes, and I think she may be reliving that night. I'm just saying, as your _lovely_ girlfriend and her _blood-relative_, you should give her that kind of closure. She misses you, too."

"When I see _them_ face-to-face at the race tomorrow night, if they have the balls to show up, and see what they're up to...then I will tell her," Gajeel said stubbornly. "I ain't in the forgiving mood and I want them to see with their sorry eyes that I'm still kicking, and ready to smash their skulls in if they try something again."

"You're not going to try and attack them, are you? You know the rules about the guns, Gajeel. They've been pretty hard on that particular rule since that shootout that happened last year between those two rivaling gangs…"

"I ain't gonna pull a gun on nobody at the races. I may not be smart like you and the kid, but I ain't stupid. Just my famous punches and maybe whacks on the head with a pipe."

"Just don't get yourself hurt again, okay?" Levy wrapped her arms around his right one, still bandaged, and gently stroked her thumbs lovingly as she rest her temple against him starting the car. "As much as I think you're still sexy with scars and all, I don't want you going through that ever again, you hear me?"

"Loud and clear, babe," Gajeel chuckled as he shifted gears to reverse. "Although, if _I do_ act a little naughty, you'll have to arrest me, right?"

"I'm counting today as a makeup day for us, then, since' you're acting so high and mighty," Levy said very casually. "I may not even uncuff you when we're done."

"Then that means no cuddling from me."

Levy lightly smacked her armrest with a pouty face. "_God damn it!_ You always try to get out of the stuff I want to do."

.

.

.

Lucy smiled as she watched her blue haired friend observe her taser decorated with the stickers her partner had added on before giving it to her as a gift. Juvia eyed the star stickers before looking to her, catching her stare.

"So Natsu-san gave you a taser as a gift?" Juvia asked sweetly as she passed the defense tool back to the blonde, who took it willingly with flushed cheeks. "Juvia would have thought Lucy-chan would prefer flowers or a fancy dinner as a present."

"Well, you know," Lucy cleared her throat, "N-Natsu isn't all that traditional…"

"But it's fairly original and he put a _lot _of thought into it," she countered teasingly, tapping a particular sticker on Lucy's tool. "Juvia thinks that's very sweet for Lucy-chan, for sure."

"Aha…" Lucy rolled her eyes and reached for her glass of water to take a sip through the pink straw Lisanna brought for her.

Juvia's smile grew more brightly as she tilt her head. "He probably thinks seven different things he likes about you whenever you two kiss, huh?"

Lucy spat out her water in a misting spray, not at all paying attention to what she hit as she stood up on her stool and instantly found the familiar redhead carrying a cardboard box of bolts towards her spot. "Erza!" Lucy screamed, catching said woman's attention with a perk. "Erza, did you tell Juvia what happened?"

A visible froze on Erza's body language before scurrying over to her husband. "Erza, don't you dare try to run from me!" Lucy pointed an accusing finger her way. "_Erza_!"

"Lucy-chan, calm down," Juvia reached with her healed arm and pulled her back down into her spot. "Erza-san didn't tell Juvia about you two kissing...Juvia was only teasing."

Heat filled Lucy's body as she spun her head towards the Phantom Lord woman, a deer in the headlights. They stared at each other for a moment as Lucy began to panic; Juvia, however, remained calm and collected as she patted the top of Lucy's head softly.

"It's okay, Juvia won't tell anyone," she said matter-of-factly. "Although, it seems that majority of Fairy Tail has already figured it out that you two are a thing. Juvia notices a change whenever you and Natsu-san enter the garage with other people inside."

"We're not - I mean, not like _that,_ or you know…"

Juvia's face softened as she shook her head. "Lucy-chan doesn't seem to know what's going on between her and Natsu-san, is that correct?"

When the blonde said nothing, Juvia spun around in her chair a few times before turning back to her small bowl of fruit. She picked at a few grapes before picking out a ripe one and held it to her lips. "It's none of Juvia's business, and she is also not in a romantic relationship like Lucy-chan seems to be, but she recommends that you two discuss about it. You like Natsu-san a lot, right?"

"Yeah," Lucy whispered so faintly, she thought her friend didn't hear it.

"And Natsu-san likes you, I'm guessing," Juvia pressed on.

"I think so," she shrugged and Juvia shook her head.

The blonde woman glanced to the racer eating her grape and picking out another one. "Juvia has known Natsu-san for a long time, and he is not the kind of person to _just kiss girls_ because he just _wants_ to. He has manners and feelings, and Juvia truly believes he deeply cares for you."

Lucy swallowed as Juvia offered a strawberry to her, taking it with delicate fingers before a familiar voice caught their attention.

"_Juuuvia-chaaan_!" Cana sang out loud as she could, dressed in her work out clothes and with Lisanna in tow with a chirpy smile. The brunette wrapped her arms around Juvia's body and snuggled her cheek against her friend's healed, unwrapped arm. "You ready to try working out with us, cutie? You got the okay from Porlyusica, so let's have some fun in the gym!"

Juvia nodded before being released from Cana's hold, carefully getting up from the stool. Her outer stitches were removed and a scar was left in its wake on her upper left thigh. She still required wrapping around the area of her leg, just incase, but she is managing so much better with her bruises and other wounds healed.

"Would you like to join us, Lucy-chan?" Lisanna asked sweetly to the blonde, tilting her head as the other stared at her given strawberry.

"Lucy-chan is going to work on something else this morning. Isn't Levy-chan also waiting for us?" Juvia casually asked. "Levy-chan came back from driving with Nii-chan last night after checking the bar, so it would be good to relieve some stress for her. Unlike Juvia, Levy-chan tends to worry more about Nii-chan."

"Doesn't your bro eat nuts and bolts for breakfast or something?" Cana gurgled before getting nudged by Lisanna. Juvia smiled politely at her friend's response, shaking her head. "Fine. Let's go get Levy, then. But she'll probably make a fuss if we work out too hard, and I wanna see you tryin' to take out my dad!"

While Lisanna tried to get Cana to behave better about the Phantom Lord members, Juvia glanced to Lucy before leaning her weight against her side. Lucy blinked with bright cheeks and looked to the blue haired woman's sweet smile as she poked her cheeks.

"Please consider what Juvia and Lucy-chan talked about, okay?" she hummed. "Trust Juvia, this isn't as scary as you may think it is. It's not like a gunfight, just remember that: you're both on the same side of the situation."

Lucy's face scrunched with absolute embarrassment when Juvia giggled and stood up, following the two women calling for her to hurry. Lucy watched them leave through the garage and turned back to the counter, finding Juvia's abandoned bowl with the remaining fruit pieces.

Mirajane came out from behind the curtain of the kitchen, cleaning a beer mug with a rag, and noticed the young woman's concentrated expression. "Lucy? Honey, is everything okay?" Mirajane asked softly, a sweet smile on her face.

Popping the strawberry into her mouth, Lucy closed her eyes as she chewed the fruit and swallowed. A smile blossomed on her lips as she looked up to Mirajane and tucked a lock of her blonde hair behind her ear.

"Yeah," she nodded with a lot of enthusiasm, "everything is great, actually!"

"Are you sure?"

Lucy's brown eyes softened as she picked out another piece of fruit from Juvia's bowl and ate it. "I'm sure, Mira. I just needed someone to tell me that I can take chances now," she winked to the platinum blonde with joy. "I'm not the little girl who is stuck in her house anymore, right?"

Mirajane blinked, holding still with her dish and rag. "Um...yes? I do believe so."

Lucy giggled brightly and got up from her spot. "Thanks Mira," she said sweetly, reaching over the counter to hug Mira, who blinked with absolute confusion. "I gotta go and take care of something. Sorry Juvia-chan and I didn't finish eating the fruit you gave us!"

When the young woman took off, Mirajane blinked again as she watched Lucy hurry to the elevator with a huge grin plastered on her face. The platinum blonde glanced to the bowl of fruit and set down her chore, picking the bowl up and inspecting it.

"Did I add too much sugar in the fruit?" she asked herself.

=xxx=

Lucy entered the apartment just in time to hear the shower turn off. Closing the door, she went over to the bathroom door and knocked on it lightly.

"Natsu!" she called out as calmly as she could.

"Yeah, Luce?" Natsu responded with absolute confusion in his voice. Of course he would, considering Lucy was knocking on the door while he was showering.

"I need to talk to you about something!" she told him through the door, pressing her ear against it when she vaguely heard the curtain opening. "When you're done in there, can we -?"

A breeze of damp air hit her cheek, prompting her to stop talking and look. Natsu stood with his hand gripping the bathroom door tightly, his face expressing nervous concern while trying to hold up a towel around his waist.

Okay.

Sure, Lucy has seen him without a shirt, and a couple times in his underwear, but it was never with the best lighting or in daytime. Especially after he gets out of the shower, considering that both Lucy and Natsu dressed before leaving the bathroom after cleaning up. Yeah, those times were okay for Lucy, for sure, since it wasn't serious for her and her mind going to million different things at once.

She also hasn't seen a man as ripped as Natsu with his body wet from the shower with a towel slipping on one hip while his hand tries to hold the other up in real life either.

Okay.

'_It's not like a gunfight,' _Lucy told herself, feeling her whole body tense and heat up when Natsu looked her over with a raised brow, his eyes written with confusion. '_I can take chances now; I'm not trapped in my own home and controlled by Dad anymore, no more controlling Lucy Heartfilia.'_

"Lucy?" Natsu tilt his head in confusion, and she felt her face go red. "You okay..?"

A tight swallow and a deep take of breath, Lucy stood straight and stared Natsu in the eyes with determination.

"What are we?" she asked.

Natsu blinked a couple times. "Uuh...what?"

Lucy huffed lightly and hugged herself for better support for this confrontation. "What I'm trying to ask you...I mean, Natsu, are we..?" she sighed and swallowed nervously. "Do you...like me? And - shit, this sounds so childish! I'm asking if you like me romance-wise! Like a girlfriend, or something!"

There was a second of silence between them, with Lucy waiting expectantly and Natsu staring at her with a unreadable expression. She could practically hear and feel both of their heartbeats pounding against their ribs…

"_GimmeasecondLucyIneedtoputpantson_," Natsu squealed in such a high-pitched voice Lucy had ever heard and slammed the door shut, causing the blonde to jump at the noise.

"What? Hey - Natsu! Open the door, _I was talking to you_!" Lucy got herself together quickly and pounded on the door with both hands. She couldn't grasp exactly what he was talking about, especially the blabbing behind the bathroom door and rummaging. "Natsu! Answer me, you dork!"

The door opened again at her childish behavior with Natsu, with jeans on, and grasped her wrists from impacting him by accident. Lucy peeped at the surprise and began flustering.

"I'm sorry, Natsu! I-I wasn't trying t-to hit you, but you don't go sl-slamming -!"

"I like you lots."

A beat of silence. Lucy froze and gaped at him and Natsu blew a raspberry.

"No, wait. That's not proper, shit!" Natsu cursed at himself, looking away from her, eyes wide and cheeks turning bright red. "That sounded like a two year-old. No, I would have said that I like you _a lot_, or something, right? 'Cause, you know, not only are you pretty and super nice all the time, but you also like insanely strong and always surprising me.

"I know I'm a pain in the ass sometimes, and you kick me whenever I do something stupid," Natsu began blabbing, letting go of her wrists and running his hands through his salmon-colored hair. "And I haven't felt like this for anyone before, and I've been around lots of chicks in my life."

"Natsu!"

"Shit, no I didn't mean it like that, Luce! I meant that I've been around them, but I have never been close to them like you and me, if that makes sense," he corrected himself quickly, stomping his bare foot. "God, I'm such a dumbass!"

"Natsu?"

"But, yeah, back to your question," Natsu smacked his own cheeks with his palms. "I never had a girlfriend before, so I kinda figured with what's been happening lately and how we've had kisses and stuff that it was official? I saw it happen in movies - you know, 'cause Lisanna and all the other girls make me watch those romance and chick flicks. I mean, I guess I would have asked someone for some help or whatever, but who could I go to? Gray can't get that pole out of his ass with Juvia…"

"Natsu."

"Cana would probably tell me stupid advice and Lisanna is too much like a baby sister for me to even consider going to for advice on girls - but Elfman could have worked? Him and Evergreen seem to have things together!"

"Naaatsu."

"Erza would probably give me the talk about condoms again. I've had that enough in my life, man! Jellal couldn't give me a straight face about that, you know. He's old-school, I guess. And, lemme tell ya, I ain't gonna go to _Laxus_, of all people!"

"Nat-su!"

"Although Gildarts could probably help a bit...but he's always busy."

"Can't I just -?"

"Gramps would tell me to figure it out -!"

Lucy grabbed his face with both hands and pressed her thumbs against his puckered lips to silence him. He obeyed well enough, whimpering in confusion as he blinked to Lucy in question. Her eyes were strong yet sparkled with a firm line of her glossed lips; her breathing calm and stance steady as she waited for him to relax in her delicate touch.

When Natsu caught on on what she wanted, his eyes softened and shoulders slouched slowly and her hands slipped from his strong cheekbones to his angular jaw. Her thumbs brushed his skin gently as the tiniest smile emerged on her lips.

"Better now?" she asked him in a soft voice. When he nodded with no verbal answer, her soft hands slid down his thick, strong neck and gripped his shoulders. "Good. Now, let's talk like adults, okay?"

"Yeah," he agreed, his cheeks burning a bit brighter. "Like adults."

"So, what do you think we are, Natsu?"

He closed his eyes and rocked his head from side to side. "We were partners from day one. That's what I've always thought, since we make the perfect team there is on the face of this planet," he confessed. "We ain't from the same cribs or anything, but you're not like anyone I have ever met before in my life."

"I can agree with that, for sure," Lucy took a step closer, her fingertips touching his hairline.

"You're different and you make my life a lot more better for the greater good, down to the smallest things like making some bombass eggs and scolding me whenever I take things too far with fighting," he went on.

"Uh-huh?"

"You're special and I don't want to hurt you. I don't want anything to hurt you," he mumbled. "If I have been confusing you these past few days with what we have been doing with kissing, I'm really sorry. I ain't too good with all this stuff."

Lucy rest her head against his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his naked torso. He felt warm, and his scent was not only freshly clean and soapy, but all of the wonderful little things that made her feel so fuzzy and content with just being around him. Being surrounded with happy memories.

Lucy smiling as she ran to her mother with an aced test or a paper she got recognition for from a higher ranked professional back in high school. Winter time of cozy blankets and watching old movies in the middle of a snowy night for the holidays. Thunderstorms where she would read her favorite novel and writing her notes of inspiration…

Lucy riding in the daytime with her and Natsu wearing sunglasses and windows down; music blaring as they took their morning jobs of secretive shipments with bugged goods and cracking into buildings in search of evidence, breathing risk and adventure. Lucy showing Natsu how she added spice peppers to his eggs and telling him not to use too much pepper and sauce with it in general.

Natsu's mouth against her own with absolute gentleness and inexperience, yet still managing to get her heart fluttering with a million butterflies and firecrackers. His even breathing while he's passed out right next to her after a blood-rushing race and curled up against him.

"If you're up to it, I would like to consider us as partners but with something more," Natsu mumbled. "I dunno how you feel about calling each other boyfriend and girlfriend, but I can manage with whatever it is you want to call us."

Lucy smiled when his strong arms wrapped around her curved frame. Being held with care and a protective shield that she hadn't felt while living in the huge, empty house before packing her backpack and leaving. She hasn't felt like this since her mother's passing.

"I think I can handle being Natsu's girlfriend, if I get to call you my boyfriend," she giggled. "I'm not against it."

"Just remember that you are your own person, Luce," he told her, resting his head atop of hers. She felt herself becoming a pleasant numbness wherever his body touched her. "If anything becomes too much between us, or I do anything that makes you uncomfortable, please tell me."

Her cheeks hurt from smiling so big, nodding against him.

"If us sharing the bed is too much for you, tell me. I can go back to being a burrito on the couch...you'll just have to help me get out."

"No, it's all okay, Natsu," she told him, glancing up to see his red cheeks. Lucy was definitely sure her own face wasn't any better than his, but it surely made her heart soar seeing him acting as childish and shy as she was about it all.

Lucy didn't feel alone anymore with him alongside with her. They were, after all, partners. Being with Natsu, it surely felt like she was with someone who was much more than a person in a body; to Lucy, in all honesty, felt like home she hasn't felt in years.

"So, there's nothing wrong with anything at all?" Natsu asked in a somewhat easy voice.

Lucy cracked her eyes open and peeked up with a raised brow. "What did you do now?"

Natsu nervously laughed as she leaned away from their hug, staring at him seriously that it could cut through stone until he fell weak. "I sorta ruined those jeans we bought last week at the mall. Remember those ones you picked out to wear specifically for racing and not mechanics?"

"You didn't." Lucy facepalmed as he nodded and took a step back into the restroom. "Natsu, you have so many pairs of pants to wear while you work on the car!"

She watched him pick up the discarded jeans on the tiled floor, showing the oil stain dripping down both legs and the beginning evidence of holes. Lucy blew a raspberry and shook her head at him. "You remember how much those cost, Natsu…"

"I know," he pouted and puffed his cheeks. "They're just so comfortable to wear and don't make my underwear ride up my -!"

"I get it," Lucy chuckled and shook her head again. She went into the bathroom and carefully took the pants to inspect them closer. "This shouldn't be too hard to remove, but I may have to bleach them. I'm not too sure."

"What's the payment for the repairs?" Natsu tilt his head, looking at the pants with a frown of defeat. "Give it to me straight, doc."

"To be fair, I'm not the biggest fan for removing stains from clothes, but I think I can manage them for the specific price. It's kinda big though," Lucy shrugged with a soft sigh.

"Name it!" Natsu perked. "If Levy can charge me over thousands for a new door, you can charge me whatever you want. Add as many zeros after the one as you want!"

Lucy smiled sweetly to him. "Oh, I don't want money from you, Natsu. We get that enough from working together, so it doesn't count with me."

Natsu blinked. "Does this mean I gotta take you out shopping whenever you want?" When Lucy shook her head again, he scratched his neck with confusion. "Well, dang it, Luce, what am I suppose to do to pay you back?"

"I know how you can pay me back," she said matter-of-factly.

"Tell me so I can sleep at night!"

Lucy pressed her finger to his lips, silencing him cutely as she winked. "Just pay me back in a hundred kisses," she instructed him.

His mouth still puckered against Lucy's finger, Natsu froze completely still as his cheekbones began to bleed to a deep blush. A feeling emerged in the back of his throat, a mixture of something sticky yet not unpleasant as he held still; a noise mixing between a purr and groan of some sort, making them both feel warmer than usual.

Lucy swallowed thickly. "Pay me in a hundred kisses, then you had officially paid me back equally," she stated again in a softer voice.

"That's a lot of kisses, Lucy," Natsu said with a more firm tone, making her shoulders slouch in disappointment.

Feeling his hands on her hips, Lucy jumped the littlest bit in surprise at the hot touch on the tiniest sliver of skin between her shirt and pants that ride below her hip bones. A little, sweet shiver shot up her spine and she could only hope that he didn't notice it at all.

"I guess I gotta starting paying up, I guess, huh?"

"Err…" Her heart was pounding so hard against her chest, she nearly forgot her own name. "What?"

Natsu grinned his dorky smile, his trademark look that Lucy both loves and wants to also smack. "I ain't have any late fees, you know. Gotta pay the bills accordingly or you're going to get mad at me and probably charge me for the delay."

Lucy exhaled a laugh and wrapped her arms around his thick neck. "For a dork like you, you sure know how to keep up with the game, don't you?"

"I can also give you a tip, if you do a good job, too," Natsu waggled his brows and Lucy bursted out laughing. "Ahh, come on! You know that was a good one! I can come up with some more on the way, the more we go!"

"How about you make a direct deposit for the first ten, just for some motivation to get me going tomorrow," she suggested instead of his silly flirting.

Natsu was definitely more than willing to go with her idea, bending down to press a long, happy kiss to his partner and pretty, pretty girlfriend.

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=xxx=

AUTHOR'S ENDING NOTE - I would consider this a filler chapter? I needed some NaLu floofness before I wreck some more characters and get dirty -lays down on floor-

Please, please Review, Follow, Favorite or do something to make you smile! I love you lots and will see you in the next chapter!


	17. Chapter 17

This chapter goes out to tumblr users alli-ie and idek-valentine for being major support and sweet darlings to me on my blog, as well as being fans of this cruddy fanfiction I write! c: You and all my other readers hold a special place in my heart, and I couldn't get this far without any of you by my side!

Please be sure to Review, Follow, Favorite or help yourself to something you like to snack on. Kick back, relax and remember that you're all beautiful and very special!

=xxx=

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R_i_**d**e '_**e**_m _H_**a**r_**d**_

Chapter Seventeen

Gray was going to kill Cana.

Correction: Gray was going to kill _everyone_ standing in Fairy Tail's gym right now, all who were surrounding the boxing ring as Gildarts laid flat on his back, looking like the wind got knocked out of him. Cana, his own daughter, was parading around the ring cheering, while Lisanna clapped from her cornered spot of the box; Juvia, however, sat on her knees and posed with one hand gripping Gildart's tank and her other hand curled into a tight fist, her smile kind and sweet as usual.

And people were cheering.

"And that's a second win for Team Babes!" Cana roared, clapping her hands as Juvia bounced up and checked her bandaged leg before grinning. "Pay up, fuckers! I'm lookin' at you Droy! Cough it up!"

Gray's temper soared once he spotted Levy approach the ring with a water bottle, calling her very own cousin over. Marching over, Gray forced himself past Jet and Warren with death written in his eyes, catching the Phantom Lord woman's sights when she took the bottle from Levy.

"Gray-sama!" she greeted politely, plopping on her bottom while still leveled with the upper flooring of the boxing ring. "Did you come to watch?"

"What the hell is going on here?" he responded in a rather loud voice, making some people glance his way but soon return to the brunette woman's demand of her payment.

"We're having some fun," Levy answered with a grin. "Ju-chan here has been having a blast going against some of the guys, right, Juju-chan?"

"What about your leg?" Gray gestured animatedly to Juvia's secured thigh, making both women blink.

Juvia herself stuck her leg up rather flexibly to one of the ropes, showing it off flirtatiously and making Gray swallow and lose track for a second. "Juvia's leg is _fine_, Gray-sama. Porlyusica gave Juvia the okay to work out, if she wanted to, and Juvia couldn't help but join in with Cana-chan's idea of taking gambles."

"By fighting against other people who have _no injuries_?"

"Juvia-chan is taking it easy," Lisanna piped in as she crawled over to Juvia's side, wrapping an arm around the racer encouragingly. "This is actually only the third round she's done in the past three hours, before we were taking bets. We're making her take breaks regularly."

"Elfman-san took longer than Juvia expected, but I managed to snag him easily once Evergreen found him," Juvia said with a shrug, glancing to the middle Strauss sibling who was being scolded still by his girlfriend. "Gildarts just happened to be easy."

"And placing bets?"

"It was Cana's idea," Levy said. "Which isn't bad by what she's offering for fights between Team Babes and Team Brutes. We're going to use our money for Italian take-out."

"This is unbelievable," Gray rolled his eyes and ran his hands through his hair. "Juvia, you shouldn't be exercising that hard! What if you tear your stitches or pass out?"

"Juvia is hardly fragile or defenseless, Gray-sama. Juvia does not to be babysat by anyone," the racer stated simply as she got up from her spot and took a swig of the water, her face still cheerful and happy. "I'm a grown woman."

The blue haired woman went over to Gildarts, who eventually came to sitting up, offering him a hand and helping him up while Cana collected the last of the winnings of the round. The older man seemed to be praising Juvia, since she smiled brightly and nodded while drinking more water. Gray's brow twitched with absolute annoyance and both girls noticed it straight away.

Levy snickered. "Listen, Gray, you can't be locking Ju-chan up in the apartment all you want, okay? She's been approved by both Porlyusica and Mira. In fact, Mira even placed her bets for Team Babes and plans on coming in with Laxus in the afternoon. Her and Erza want to do a couple battle or something cute like that before the race."

"This is still stupid."

"You really can't stop us from having a good time," Lisanna laughed, making his mood even more so sour than before. "Besides, look how happy she is!"

Gray did look. He saw how Juvia and Cana bounced around while counting the money outloud to the crowd, Gildarts nodding in understanding as he dug out his own money from his track jacket and handing it to his daughter. Cana kissed her father's cheek and lightly smacked the spot teasingly, and Juvia laughed brightly at Gildarts' accepting of his defeat.

"You sure you can't go for another round, Dad?" Cana asked. "Could be another chance to earn your money back."

"Nah, I'm afraid dear Juvia has made this old man realize how _old_ he actually is," Gildarts shook his head and pat Juvia's head, making her grin. "I'm callin' it quits with this one here."

"Juvia hopes you're not too sore, Gildarts-san," Juvia said softly, pressing her lips to the bottle she was holding. "You were laying there for a while…"

"That's what I get for not paying enough attention to your moves," Gildarts winked before glancing to his daughter. "Make sure you're not running her too hard, Cana."

"Oh, Juvia can go for another round!" Juvia announced with a hand raised in the air. "Whoever is willing to attempt to get money back, please state yourself!"

"You heard my girl, boys!" Cana roared confidently, slapping the thick wad of cash in her hand to her rear. "Who wants a go with the champ, huh? Otherwise, the girls are having Italian for dinner tonight with dessert!"

"That's enough, Juvia," Gray called to her, his brows furrowed with worry. "You should take a break after doing three."

"After one more, then she can take a break, boy!"

The crowd around the ring fell quiet when they turned to see Makarov at the gaping entrance of the gym, beside him Silver Fullbuster dressed in a black shirt and worn down jeans. The elderly man grinned brightly as he waved at the shocked group members.

"It's nice to see the garage having fun before a race, no?" Makarov chuckled as he strolled further into the gym, eyeing Cana's collection. The brunette perked at the look and hid the money behind her back, causing him to grin. "Don't fuss about gambling. I actually want to put my money in the pile for the next round with dear Juvia!"

Before Gray or anyone could say anything, Cana's face brightened. "How much you bettin', Gramps? Remember, this isn't a cheap game we're playing!"

"I'll be putting in three hundred," Makarov announced. The crowd made noises of shock and surprise as he pulled out three large bills and waved it high above his head. "And a bottle of my imported champagne from Italy, if that will sweeten it up enough for you. Goes nice with Italian take-out, too, if I may add."

"Juvia," Cana said in a deep, flat voice. The blue haired woman glanced cutely to her friend's way with a knowing smile. "I want that bottle from Italy. Get it for me, won't you, baby?"

"Who is Juvia's opponent, Makarov?" Juvia asked politely, making Makarov grin even bigger and pointed to the man following his way. The young woman blinked, yet kept her smile as she looked to Silver. "Silver-sama wants to go against Juvia?"

"You don't mind, do you?" Makarov asked her specifically, ignoring Gray's gawking glare of a dropped jaw and silent screaming.

Juvia shook her head and Cana slithered in. "What do you want in return along with the money, Gramps?"

"Well, if I win, I get to bring Juvia home for a home cooked meal by my wife," Silver said with a thumbs up. "The Mrs makes a kickass pot roast with vegetables."

Gray was fuming with rage and disbelief at his father. "Don't you -!"

"Juvia would like to try a round with Silver-sama!" Juvia said cheerfully and the crowd went wild.

"Silver is a cop, so he has dealt with plenty of fighting styles with people of all kinds! She won't be a problem with him," Jet said with confidence. "We'll be able to get our money back in no time, so long as he doesn't hurt Juvia. That might be bad."

"No shit," Macao frowned at the younger man. "May I remind you that's Levy's cousin you're talking about. But, besides that, I ain't betting for the guys anymore."

"You know, Levy's cousin is pretty nice once you give her a chance, Jet," Droy said quietly to his companion. "Perhaps she really didn't mean to break your nose. Levy was saying something how she's epileptic and it can really affect your surroundings sometimes..."

"That scary doctor had to twist it back into place!" Jet whispered back in terror.

"Still," another member of the crowd, Freed, spoke in somewhere, "Silver should be able to pin Juvia down, right? He probably has experience fighting women, too."

"Bring up the bets, everybody!" Cana shouted over the conversing crowd. "Count for Team Babes, okay? Evergreen, I see your hand up! You're in the round! Team Brutes! Raise your hands high, men. You're not sitting this out, everyone! C'mon, another five dollars isn't gonna hurt nobody, guys! You might actually get your money back...if you're lucky!"

Gray attempted to jump into the ring until Levy pounced on his back and Lisanna used her feet to push Gray back down from moving too far with his goal. Silver helped himself through the ropes on the other side, looking around the stage with a pretty confident grin on his face.

"I just want you to know that I won't go too hard on you, Juvia-chan," Silver told the blue haired woman as Cana went around to count the amount of bets. "The guys back at the station always hold stuff like this every weekend at the gym, so I won't be too rowdy as I am with the boys."

Juvia's expression was sweeter than sugar and her giggle was like bells. "Silver-sama doesn't need to treat Juvia like she's delicate," she told him honestly. "It won't get Silver-sama very far if he is too nice to Juvia."

Silver chuckled at her as he held out his hand, once reaching to her in the middle. "Well, it's just going to be a fair game, right? Let's have a nice, clean round."

Juvia glanced curiously to his large hand, raising her own, small one and hovered beside with their palms facing each other. Cana brought up her phone with her bullhorn app open to signal the ready of the fight to the crowd, letting the betters fall into a silence.

The blue haired racer sighed softly, still offering him a polite smile. "Juvia thinks that Silver-sama doesn't understand…"

_HOOONK!_

With the hand about to shake Silver's, Juvia grasped his wrist in a tight vice grip and twist his whole arm backwards, catching him off guard and grunting in the slightest pain. With her leg, Juvia twirled herself into a roundhouse kick aimed at the side of his skull: The result sent Silver bending over with his eyes squeezed shut, prompting Juvia to wrap her arms around his waist and flip him over.

Silver landed on his back, the wind knocked out of him as he gasped for air while Juvia pressed her foot on his shoulder. The older man blinked in surprise as he noticed the young woman holding his gun in her hand, making him reach for his gun holster to find it actually missing from his belt.

Grasping the gun to her cheek, Juvia pointed with her other hand to Silver's face in a imitation of the weapon, making a cute sound effect of cocking the gun with her thumb bending and a few "_bang!"_s from his face, his shoulder, chest and his lower parts before stepping off of him.

Leaning a bit closer to him and spoke in a whisper. "Silver-sama doesn't need to treat Juvia delicate," she repeated with a half-smile, resting a hand on her hip. "Juvia has been taught by Aria, and he was an ex-military combat trainer for the _marines_ for over fifteen years. Nothing beats Aria-sensei's training with a cop."

Silver stared at her in disbelief as she held out his gun for him to take back, which he did with a shaky grasp and rest his arm back down. She turned around as the crowd suddenly roared with cheers and applause just for her.

Raising her hands high, Juvia allowed Cana to grab her hand and take a deep bow. Cana began to overwhelm herself with victorious laughter and stomping her foot, dancing around the ring as she demand every better to give up their money. With each bill she took, she placed it between her cleavage and the other members of Team Babes cheered louder than the rest once she reached Makarov, who appeared relaxed with his arms crossed.

"Give me the goods, Gramps! I won this time!" Cana shrieked with joy as she hung on to the top rope and held her hand out at him. "Money, alcohol - everything you promised _Mama Moi_!"

"I did make a deal, didn't I?" Makarov smiled under his mustache and held out his three hundred to her. Before Cana could snatch it out of his grasp, he pulled back above his head and tsked at her. "You also remember the rules, Cana. When you bet under my roof, you share your winnings with me, remember?"

Cana made a snort noise very similar to a boar and scowled at him. "You don't mean…"

"Oh yes," Makarov winked. "You know I like my linguine pescatore with a side salad and garlic bread, sweetheart. Don't be too shy to ask for additional garlic toppings for my pasta; don't worry about ordering it, honey, they know it's my order as soon as you say _clam."_

"Ya gonna stink up my car with your nasty-ass old man food," Cana hissed darkly once Makarov tapped her forehead with his cash.

"Remember I'm giving you a bottle of my imported goods, Cana," he sang in response and the brunette yelled in anger.

"Fine, you wrinkled raisin monkey!" she shouted as she snatched the money. "Dad! Where are my keys so I can get the food and then get wasted!"

Silver slowly sat up while Juvia followed Cana off the ring and towards Gildarts, going to help her take everyone else on Team Babes orders. Turning himself around, the man made a distinct questionable face to the three hiding in the back. Levy grinned cheekily and offered her hands in defeat and took off, joining the two as Lisanna laughed and followed the mechanic.

Gray had a major irritated look on his face, giving his parent the death stare as he made his way closer to the edge of the ring. Leaning against the ropes for support, Silver grasped Gray's shoulders in desperation and gently shook him.

"Son…" Silver gurgled in a deep voice.

"You're an idiot," Gray responded simply.

Gray twitched when his father grabbed his cheeks with both hands, forcing eye contact as fear was written in the older man's eyes. "Boy...please be honest with me, will you?"

Rolling his eyes, Gray gave him a pointed look to continue. "How, in God's holy name, did you manage to get that miracle of a woman for a girlfriend?"

"She's _not_ my girlfriend."

"_Yet_!" Silver chuckled with glee. "You know the story how your mother and I met? I was drunk at a bar with some friends back in the day, and I picked a fight with this dude, because I think he dumped his drink on me. Turned out to be your mom's brother, and she happened to be there and so -"

"She kicked your ass and then both of you went on a date to the beach. I know," Gray interrupted him rather rudely. "Still, why the hell did you think that going against her was okay? You remember she was critically injured?"

"Well, I certainly didn't expect a sweet, kind girl like Juvia-chan to hand my ass to me," Silver chuckled. "Did you see how she pointed out the possible aims to fire? Man, she could have blown my junk off in the streets! Oh, I should have her show my boys how to fight sometime. Damn, a ex-marine, huh?

"But, besides that, I think Juvia-chan is a wonderful girl, Gray. You should really grow a pear at this point," Silver teased, making Gray groan and attempt to slip out of his father's grasp. It only caused Silver to yank him closer and ruffle his hair.

"How did you two meet anyway?" Silver asked. "Surely you two didn't happen to pass by each other in the grocery store, right?"

"_I am not talking to you about this_!" Gray snarled and pushed Silver away. He marched off into the crowd, leaving Silver in the small corner with a small frown and tilt of his head.

"He's embarrassed about it."

Silver turned his head to see Natsu leaning against the wall with a dark hoodie on, the hood pulled over his pink hair and his scarf covering most of his face. The racer waved in a friendly greeting once the cop called his name with a raised brow. "What are you doing over there, kid? I figured you'd be out with that blonde girl I see you with all the time, or something."

"She's with Erza," Natsu quickly responded and scratched his face somewhat nervously.

"But wait, wait, wait," Silver sniffed, "what did you mean that Gray is embarrassed. What's he embarrassed about?"

"How he met Juvia, of course," Natsu snickered, changing his attitude in a snap. "I mean, seriously, it was a pretty funny situation on how they met. Personally, I thought it was rather fitting for the both of them, if you'd ask me."

"Fill in with Uncle Silver, son," Silver whispered with purpose, beckoning his son's best friend closer with a finger. "We both know that my boy ain't gonna tell me, even on my own death bed."

Natsu characteristically waddled closer to Silver's side and played it off cool. "Gray will never let me hear the end of it, if he were to find out about me telling you."

"I ain't gonna tell him nothin', boy," Silver crossed his heart with his pinky.

Once Natsu could tell that the older man would keep the secret, he nodded in understanding and cracked his knuckles professionally. "Okay, so we were sixteen, yeah? Before either me or Gray were allowed to actually race in anything, we had to do these specific jobs that required us to be more on foot and more hands on, if that makes sense.

"So there was a job where we had to break into a impound, where some drug lord got his stash hiding in a car that was towed," Natsu shrugged. "The guy parked in a no-parking zone at a mall, or something, and lost the goods hidden underneath the car. Since no one was going to claim a car with an expired and technically 'non-existing' plate, they were going to crush the car. Well, Gray and I were put to break in and get the shit…so was Phantom Lord.

"This lot was really shitty. It had lots going underground that were falling apart and was probably really hazardous," the young man went on with another shrug and a cocky grin, as if it was a silly situation to be part of in the first place. "We didn't know that Phantom Lord was involved while we were investigating, and Gray got himself lost in a wreck-maze while I was the genius and broke into the pound's office for records and locations."

"Are you gonna get to the part where I asked you to come over here in the first place?" Silver raised a brow.

"I'm getting there! So I was watching on the security cameras and saw Gray bumping into this guy, and they both fall in a pit. Gray fell on top of the dude and tried shoving him away, right? Typical Gray.

"It takes us _both _a few minutes - with me watching on camera - that the dude wasn't really a dude...it turned out to be Juvia, and Gray was actually groping her."

"_What_?" Silver whisper-screamed at him while Natsu nodded seriously.

"Well, Juvia-chan was dressed as a man," Natsu explained. "Trust me, if any other goons who weren't as civilized as us found Juvia walking around a deserted impound? And we were all fifteen-sixteen at the time, so Juvia wasn't so…" He made a motion with both of his hands to his chest area, making suggestive gestures of bigger breasts than Juvia would have had years ago. "She was wearing really baggy clothes and her hair was super short, like a boy, I guess. It took Gray a bit longer to realize what he did, because Juvia grabbed a rock, or something, and whacked him in the head with it and started screaming at him in Russian. I think she was threatening him, or something."

"She hit him with a rock…?"

Natsu pointed to a specific spot on his forehead, pushing his bangs back with his other hand. "The scar he has on his head? Juvia gave it to him when she reacted. I like to call it Ice Dick's _Love at First Hit_."

"What happened afterwards?" Silver asked with a pursed lip.

"If I remember right, Gray tried to apologize until Gajeel found them and hauled Juvia out. Gajeel wanted to gut Gray, like a fish, but Juvia stopped her brother since it was a misunderstanding," Natsu said with a grin. "Juvia is cool like that, but Gray doesn't want anyone to know how they really met. He always says he met Juvia from our first time racing when she partnered with Gajeel, but I know better than that. They've been seeing each other a lot often at the tracks after that, and...you know."

Silver glanced over to where his son was currently trying to usher Juvia away from Cana and Levy's grasp, arguing that she doesn't need to go with them to pick up food when she already ordered. Cana and Levy seemed to want Juvia to come with, and Juvia seemed torn between them.

"You know, it's also Juvia-chan who resists trying to have a closer relationship with ice princess, too," Natsu added quietly. Silver looked back at Natsu with a disbelief look on his face and he nodded. "It's just the way they are, I guess. Gray always says that Juvia isn't his girlfriend, but I think he wants her to be."

Narrowing his eyes at his son conversing with the blue haired woman, he turned back to Natsu when the young man cleared his throat and shook his head. "Before you can be like 'oh, why haven't they done anything about it?', I need to remind you that this isn't an average love-problem situation."

"When is it ever?" Silver rolled his eyes.

"Well, not when you're originally from rivaling gangs and the fact that one of them was nearly killed by her own investor," he began listing off different things with his fingers. "Also, when your dad happens to be a cop, which is a big no-no to majority of people who do illegal street-racing, drug smuggling, murder and other stuff. And, what I think is more important is -!"

"You're still a chatterbox that I remember coming over after school, you know that, kid?" Silver mentioned with a bland expression as he stared hard at the young man, who blinked.

Natsu snickered when Silver's demeanor faltered just the littlest bit. "I was going to say that Gray is a bit of an ass to try and follow his head, than his own feelings."

"Now _that_ is probably a decent excuse," the cop half-grinned.

"Are you going to do something about it?" Natsu asked with a tilt of his head.

Silver slowly shook his head, his lips tweaking a bit higher to widen his smile. "Nah, you kids are old enough to figure your own problems out, especially when it comes to the ladies. Aren't I right, Natsu?"

Silver chuckled at seeing his companion's face flush and refuse to meet his eyes. "I'm not too worried about you two. Some things you gotta figure out yourself," he drawled as he looked back to see Juvia resolving the argument between Cana and Gray by going with the latter. Apparently Levy and Lisanna were going to go with Cana to get food before the race later, instead of having Juvia along for the trip.

He watched Juvia tug on Gray's sleeve towards the exit of the gym, a polite smile on her face as Gray gave Cana one last warning glare. Silver was impressed by Juvia's impression on his son, bringing back the memories of how his own wife used to do the same thing whenever they went out during their dating-stage.

That was how Silver knew that she was going to be his one and only lady of his life back then.

"But my boy _really_ has to get that pole out of his ass."

.

.

.

Lucy didn't feel a care in the world as she held Natsu's hand in a firm grip, smiling as she passed by Mirajane tending to her fiance's jacket collar and poking his broad chin. As of yet (not counting Cana after she has had her Happy Juice), no one has been saying anything about how more...obvious her and Natsu have been lately. Some of the gang offered smiles and greetings, but nothing teasing or trying to dig into either one's business or questioning what was up between them.

Sure, as Lucy remembered Juvia saying, people must have been assuming that they were together long before. Hell, even Erza attempted to give her the sex talk - but, despite all of that, Lucy just felt nothing but blissful acceptance and silent praise from her _family_.

It was sweet enough to hurt her teeth, if she had to put it into words, and she thoroughly enjoyed the cavities it was giving her.

The two pairs found Levy wiping off Natsu's hood with a old rag, whistling a tune in her little mechanic uniform and sports bra. Seeing the couple approach her way, Levy grinned brightly and rolled the towel to a whip at the car before posing proudly.

"What'ya think, ladies and gentlemen? Did I not clean her up and primped her nice and pretty, or what?" Levy smiled.

"Lookin' good, Levy," Natsu nodded as he trot closer to his ride, momentarily letting go of Lucy's hand to check out the paint job. "Definitely worth the cash and your Amazon shopping list."

The base color changed to a dark maroon red with beautifully detailed airbrush on the ghosting flames starting from the front fender of the car and growing in the back. The drifting patterns coming off from the flames reminded him of twinkling stars, along with the glittering shine of the finishing coat was perfection.

Natsu rubbed his cheek against the hood of the car, sparkles in his eyes. "Luce, look at our hotrod! Isn't it the most prettiest car you have ever seen?"

Lucy rolled her eyes and smiled at her boyfriend. "Yes, but you say that everyday. I think it hardly has any meaning."

"If I can butt in," Levy hummed with a naughty smirk, "Natsu has been saying that only after you joined us, Lucy-chan."

"Levy!" both Lucy and Natsu yelped with red cheeks, making the mechanic laugh hysterically and slap her knee. Lucy used her height and weight to press on Levy's side, covering her mouth with her hand and scowled at her.

"Sorry, Lulu-chan," Levy snickered and rubbed under her eyes. "I couldn't help it."

Lucy rolled her eyes and ignored how Natsu whimpered against the top of his car. "What are you up to tonight, Levy-chan? Anything fun planned?"

"Juju-chan is in the shower right now, but I'm going to have her check out my secret project and get some input from her," Levy winked. "Ju-chan has a knack for cars as much as I do, too, so it'll be more helpful than just waiting for Jet or Droy's help when they got school; one plush on having my cousin staying with us!"

"So Juvia can see what you've been working on for months, and we can't?" Natsu whined, giving Levy and excuse to roll up her rag again and snap it at Natsu. The racer in response jumped and nearly fell backwards to avoid the whip. Lucy sighed.

"Since we had dinner with Cana and all the other ladies, we're gonna raid the fridge while Mira's out for some dessert," Levy added in with a wink to the blonde. "You're welcome to join us in my apartment when you come back."

"I was kinda hoping Juvia would join us to the tracks, though," Lucy confessed softly. "Like, she doesn't need to leave the car or anything, but at least let her watch Gajeel race, if she wanted to."

The blue haired woman's face fell to a more worried and built-up look. "No, it's fine," she responded a bit quickly. "You know, a-after spending so much time in the gym kicking ass, I think it would be best to have her take it easy with her leg and muscles."

"I thought you said she was just fine," Lucy raised a brow.

Levy shrugged and pat Lucy's cheek with her clean hand. "Nah, it's still a bit sore for her. Gotta be careful with that leg of hers she has, just like my aunt!" she giggled easily. "Aren't you guys racing tonight, too, you two?"

"Yeah, Gray, Erza and Laxus are registered with us tonight," Lucy slowly changed the subject with her friend.

"I can't wait to make Laxus eat my dust, huh huh!" Natsu chuckled devilishly as he crossed his arms proudly. "I gotta be playin' Chamillionaire's '_Ridin' Dirty_' on full blast when I pass by him to the finish line!"

"Hey," Lucy snapped her fingers as she approached him with a knowing smile. "Your butt. In the car now, boy. We gotta be at the tracks early enough to get a good place in line, remember? I know it's a scrimmage race, but people still bet money, too, right?"

Natsu perked and began bouncing. "Oh jeez, our bet placing has been rising nonstop, it's great! Levy, you sure you don't want to come with Juvia and place bets?"

"Gambling isn't so much of my thing, unless it's my cousin kicking someone's ass," Levy smiled sweetly and pat Natsu's head. "Sorry, but maybe next time when Ju-chan is all better."

Before Natsu could try and say anything, Lucy wrapped her arms around his torso and began singing the song he had planned to play while racing Laxus, pushing him towards the driver's seat. Lucy reached blindly for the handle to open it, distracting Natsu long enough to yell goodbye to her friend before spinning around, letting herself crawl into the car first.

"But what -?" Natsu didn't have the chance to ask Levy once Lucy grabbed his shirt and scarf, hauling him and bonking his head on the edge of the door coming in.

Once crawling to her spot and Natsu settled into his seat while closing the door, Natsu started the car and revved the engine to give Levy one last goodbye before starting out of the garage on command. "What's that all about?"

"Levy-chan didn't want to explain anything, Natsu," Lucy told him. "Did you see how she changed the subject when I asked about Juvia's injuries?"

"I thought she was cleared by Mira and Porlyusica."

"She is, but I'm only guessing that Levy doesn't want her in the streets after what happened," Lucy shrugged lightly and began fiddling with her taser, looking at the stickers. "I don't want to make her uncomfortable, so it might be best to just let Juvia stay near Levy, where she knows she's safe."

"Aah, okay," Natsu nodded slowly. "But, it's not all that bad, is it?"

"That's for Levy-chan and Juvia-chan to decide, not us," Lucy pointed out with a wink to her boyfriend. "But, we're going to be their friends and support them, right?"

"Yeah!" Natsu responded with enthusiasm.

"Good," Lucy praised as she leaned over to kiss Natsu's cheek lightly. She definitely didn't miss how his mouth broke into a cheshire grin and stars in his eyes; a whisper of a giddy laugh under his breath, suddenly bursting into a frown and a gasp of realization. "What's wrong, Natsu?" Lucy asked him with a raised brow.

"I forgot how many kisses I had left to pay you back!" he whined, making Lucy blink a few times before smiling softly. "God, why can't I pay attention to the most simplest things?"

"I know how many kisses you had left, Natsu," Lucy sang out casually, being sure to not distract him from driving. She rest her head on his shoulder and held on to the edge of his shirt lightly with her fingertips.

"How many do I got left, Luce?"

Lucy smiled a bit bigger and couldn't resist the giggle in her voice. "I'm not telling. I want you to start over again!"

=xxx=

The scrimmage race was designated at a shopping district late at night, where all the stores for groceries, flowers, bargained clothes and some auto-shops have been tightly locked up and lights shut to keep out anyone. Music was busting in a parking lot by a Chinese take-out spot where people were conversing and signing up for the scrimmage with one of John's assistance under a pitched up event tent. People were dancing in random spots of the closed off streets and sidewalks, but no one made moves to try and break into any stores and kept to themselves. There were beer kegs, a couples grills cooking burgers, and someone propped up their trunk with a screen and playing video games once Lucy and Natsu made their way to the designated parking area to wait for their turn to race.

Since Fairy Tail was a gang that was well known to John in his scrimmage races, they got one of those rare special treatment for racers to skip signing up, as Natsu explained it to Lucy. John was busy organizing two cars at a time to race down a long stretch of road to a open circle, where restaurants would use it for patios and events.

"So the trick is with this scrimmage is to make it to the end, make a sharp U-turn without hitting anything and then make it back to the line in one piece," Natsu explained as he got out of the car with Lucy in tow. "It's really narrow and you have to make it before the other guy to ensure a win, or you'll crash."

"And this is how you want to pay Levy with the paint she did for our car?" Lucy raised a teasing brow as she watched him shine the corner of his door with his shirt, exposing his chiseled abs.

Natsu only grinned when he finished and wrapped his arm around Lucy's shoulders, giving her a wink. "Knowing I got you as my lucky charm, there won't even be a spec of dirt on it," he proclaimed before kissing the corner of her soft lips lightly. "I mean, I haven't really gone anywhere lower than second place, since I have you here riding with me."

"How charming for you to say, silly," Lucy smiled and grabbed his face gently with one hand, using her fingers to squish his cheeks and force his mouth to pucker a little. "_Fire Dragon_ does most of the hard work around here."

"That's true too," Natsu agreed before letting Lucy go on her toes to press a proper kiss to his mouth. He snickered cheekily before leading them both further down the parking area, saying brief hellos to some people along the way until they found Makarov's car that he borrowed to Gajeel to drive back and forth parked next to Mirajane and Laxus' car. Going over to the engaged couple and the dark haired racer, Gray rode up in his car on the other side of Laxus' ride and exited in time to join the group.

"Hey," Laxus looked to the three younger adults with crossed arms. "Did you two manage to get into racing?"

"We did," Natsu vouched for himself and Lucy with a salute as the blonde woman nodded proudly.

"I'm in the later rounds, whenever they call," Gray shrugged, not seeming to care as much about the scrimmage. "Saw Erza pull up with Jellal a minute ago, but I don't know if they're joining in the first rounds."

"Probably not," Mirajane answered with a smile. "Knowing Erza-chan, her car has the spikes and puncture plates on for it. John probably doesn't want her breaking anyone's car as of yet, considering how competitive she can be."

Lucy mentally shivered at the thought of Erza smashing cars with giant fists or hammers. Looking to Gajeel, Lucy offered a polite smile to him and a little wave. "How are you doing, Gajeel? Do you like Master's car?"

The dark haired racer, despite not really a fan of everyone in the gang, shrugged his shoulders. "Not all that bad, but it's nothing I can really have a heavy foot on," he grumbled a little bit. "Probably going to tweak it a little while at home, before I head over to the garage when everything's packed."

She didn't feel comfortable yet to tell the big, buff and slightly intimidating man that Makarov didn't like anyone messing with his own car, but she would also like to see what Gajeel could come up with before the old man found out. Noticing that he seemed to be super calm, Lucy can only assume that he wasn't going to be racing tonight or straying far.

Before anything else could be said between the two, a unwanted, familiar voice cause a disgusted chill in Lucy's spine, forcing her to grip Natsu's arm tightly against her chest.

"Ahh, ain't it Gajeel-kun, still living and breathin'!"

Turning their heads, Lucy flinched at the sight of Vidaldus approaching with a sick grin on his face, wearing only tight leather pants with chains and fingerless gloves. Natsu made a move to have Lucy on the other side of him, pushing her to be between him and Laxus, she had to tilt her head a little bit to see that Trinity Raven had their cars parked on the opposite side of the street from them. Ikaruga and some other men and women dressed in questionable attire watching with curious and amused faces.

Gajeel, when Lucy glanced his way, did not look amused. Yet, he didn't say anything when Vidaldus approached a few good feet away with a couple of men from his team as backup.

"I was hoping we would see a TV special on the news about finding your body, but I guess it didn't work out so well," Vidaldus smirked as he eyed the other people around Gajeel. "I see that you got some new friends here, too, huh? Ya buddy-buddy with Fairy Tail now, or something?"

"Why is it any different to you, shithead?" Gajeel snapped back and crossed his arms. "Ain't any of their business on what I got, you hear?"

"It is kind've interesting, seeing how close you seem right now," Vidaldus rubbed his chin in delight as he peeked to Mirajane and Lucy with a raised brow. "I don't see your sis here, huh..?"

"No, and you aren't gonna take another look at her until I'm done with you," Gajeel told him seriously and narrowed his eyes in pure anger. "You better get your ass and your bitches back to you side of the road, or I'll get started on rearranging your whole body right now."

Gajeel took a single step forward, sparking Vidaldus to flinch and grouch at him. "Tch, don't get too ahead of yourself, Gajeel," the man responded as hard as he could. "You're the only one here that I see with no backup, while I got my whole crew here. Besides, don't want to keep getting yourself all cut up like last time."

"Keep walkin', fucker," Gajeel snarled. "And sleep with one eye open and your legs crossed, 'cause I'm startin' with you first!"

Laxus put a hand on Gajeel's shoulder to keep him in place, which the dark haired man accepted as Vidaldus shook his head and turned to walk back. "New we shoulda slit your sister's throat when we grabbed her and had your head under a tire. Would've made it easier for Ikaruga to give me your sister to have a round with before she got nasty -"

Lucy wasn't expecting Gray to launch himself at Vidaldus, attacking him to the pavement and smashing the man's face into it by gripping his scalp. By the time one of Trinity Raven's men punched Gray across the face, Gajeel snagged himself away from Laxus with Natsu to help him out.

Natsu gutted on of Vidaldus' goons with his elbow and an uppercut on the jaw to make him lose focus while Gajeel tackled the other one with brute force. Gray, losing focus for one moment by the punch, was grabbed by Vidaldus and wrestled into a punching and choking game; Vidaldus' face was scratched and bloody as he spat in Gray's face while he attempt to twist his wrists back.

Mirajane took Lucy's hand and pulled her behind herself and Laxus, who had his hand at his belt for something the blonde woman couldn't see too well. By the time she was registering what was happening, Gajeel was hit quite a few times and had a knife pulled on him with a clean cut across his cheek and Natsu was dodging every hit possible and trying to find a perfect aim.

A gun was pulled by the man fighting with Gajeel and aimed it between his rusty eyes...

_Bang! Bang!_

The men nearly broke apart by the sound of gunfire shot in the air, turning to see John and his crew armed with different types of firearm and standing ready to attack. When one of the goons tried to hit Natsu one more time, the pink haired man aimed a punch to the man's throat and kneed him between the legs hard enough to make him fall over, making Lucy cover her mouth to hide her scream.

John snapped his fingers and had his men aim every gun at the six in the middle of the road, prompting Natsu and his challenge to create space while Gajeel's opponent slowly removed the gun from his head and backed away with his hands up; Vidaldus and Gray were still wrestling and throwing punches to the point that John ordered his men to surround them with guns.

Natsu had to sneak between them and drag Gray off of the rock-poser, a bit beaten and fueled with pure anger and thirst for blood, yet Vidaldus was no better.

"I'll fuckin' kill you, you hear me!" Gray shouted at Vidaldus in a loud roar. "Say that around me again and I'll fucking kill you myself!"

"Hey, hey!" John screamed over them, equally pissed. "Knock it all off, right now, or I'll end it all!"

The music was cut to silence and people stopped dancing. No car engines were revving up to race as John's men kept their aim strictly to the fighting gang members in the middle of the street.

"You know how it goes, men! Scrimmages are for no violence and guns, or we'll all be taken in by the fuzz, you hear?" John shouted. "Whatever beef you got with each other, save it for another day. We can't risk getting caught by the cops, or we'll all be in trouble with the bosses!"

"It's too late, John!" one of the directors of the races called out from inside the car frantically. "Someone called in street racing and they're sending cops. We just got a hit for gunfire, too, man!"

"Shit," John cursed and held up his megaphone. "Cops, cops, cops! Everybody out now!"

Chaos ensued of people running to cars or scaling fences to get out of the area as fast as possible. Natsu hauled Gray up first before grabbing Gajeel by his coat and pulling him to his feet, ushering him towards his borrowed car before going straight to Lucy.

"Laxus," Natsu spoke quickly and the blond man nodded sternly before wrapping his arm around Mirajane. Natsu took Lucy's hands and brought her over to their ride. "Hurry, get in, Luce."

Lucy could only nod and obey her boyfriend's orders, not missing how Vidaldus was picked up and began yelling at the top of his lungs.

"I should've killed you and your sister when I got the fuckin' chance!" he yelled loudly. "Fuckin' Hades ain't gonna hold me back for this, you hear me, Fairy Tail? We're comin' for ya, Gajeel!"

Natsu got into his car and started the engine quickly, swerving over to the sidewalk into a sharp turn to head out. A few times he had to hit the brakes before hitting people trying to make a run for it before getting into a more open road with the cop sirens echoing in the distance.

"You okay, Luce?" Natsu asked as calmly as possible, taking brief glances to look at her to check her over.

Lucy nodded while holding onto her seat. "Y-yeah, yeah. Just not...wasn't expecting that," she breathed. Swallowing, the woman tried to relax in her seat. "It was just, you know…"

"You're okay though, right? Not hurt or anything?"

Narrowing her brown eyes, Lucy looked his way. "I should be asking _you_ that, you dork!"

"Heh, I've had worse," Natsu grinned sarcastically. "This isn't as bad as what I've gotten in the past!"

"Still!" Lucy snapped with a irritated pout.

"You can kick my ass later when -" Natsu was interrupted by the signal from the radio of an incoming call. Lucy could recognize the number in an instant and blinked in confusion.

Pressing the button to answer it, Lucy spoke in a clear voice. "Levy-chan, what's up?"

"Have you guys seen Ju-chan?" Levy responded in a more frantic voice. "No one has seen her anywhere in the garage!"

"What?" both Lucy and Natsu jumped.

"She told me she was going to shower in Cana's apartment, but Cana hasn't seen her since dinner. I don't know where she is!" Levy heaved worriedly. "I counted the cars and none of them are off, so I'm wondering if she stowed away with you two when I wasn't looking!"

Lucy looked back in the backseat, finding only her sweater and Natsu's gloves. "No, she's not here, Levy-chan. I didn't see her anywhere at the race either…"

The Toyota Supra got itself into the cliffside road, a secret road that got them far away from the market street quick enough to slip past cops with the headlights on low. Erza drove with expertise as she turned to a downhill pathway that would take them to the city, glancing to her rearview mirror with a concerned expression.

"Are you alright?" Erza asked softly.

"Juvia is _fine_."

"We'll be at the garage before everyone else, Juvia," Jellal mentioned politely in the passenger seat, looking to his wife with a somewhat worried look in his eyes. "Someone must have noticed you were gone by now, huh?"

"Juvia does hope that you won't get in trouble for taking her along," the blue haired woman said stiffly, yet it was very true. "If Master Makarov or Levy-chan try to be mad at you, please tell them that Juvia insisted on seeing what Nii-chan was going to do…"

"It's okay, Juvia. We all understand," Jellal waved a hand. "We get that you're also somewhat upset right now. Is there anything we can do for you?"

The Phantom Lord woman shook her head and looked down to her lap, doing her best to keep her angry tears at bay. "Just make sure that Juvia doesn't hurt Nii-chan any more than he already is when she sees him."

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=xxx=

AUTHOR'S ENDING NOTE - I don't like how this ended, but next chapter should be a hoot for Juvia and Gajeel, as well as a major Gruvia moment :v

Please Review, Follow, Favorite or just stay sexy.


	18. Chapter 18

You all can thank Netflix for giving me the blessing of the first three Fast&amp;Furious films and a nice, long weekend of re-watching.

Please Review, Follow, Favorite or help yourself with a snack! I hope this chapter fills your need of some things… I won't spoil what, so you'll just have to read this chapter and let me know c:

=xxx=

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R_i_**d**e '_**e**_m _H_**a**r_**d**_

Chapter Eighteen

Finding Juvia Lockser wasn't so difficult once Lucy and Natsu arrived back to the garage to find Levy checking over the blue haired racer in such a motherly way, but also fairly angered as she scolded Juvia lightly in Russian. It wasn't too difficult to find out that Juvia got Erza and Jellal to bring her to the race, being suspicious of why Gajeel was being so distant with her; having her back and accepting Levy's wrath at the same time Levy thanked them for keeping her cousin safe…

What _was_ difficult was when Gajeel pulled in with Laxus, followed by Gray's car and Juvia practically dragged him out of the car, screaming at him while Mirajane began pulling out the First Aid kits and began tending to the three men who were involved in a dirty fight.

Lucy watched Juvia yell at Gajeel while he held his bleeding nose. Levy stood by the sidelines with Lucy and Laxus while the rest of the crew crowd around to see what was happening, patiently watching with a tired, sad gaze.

"Uhm...Levy-chan," Lucy whispered close to her friend. "What is Juvia-chan saying..? I can't understand her."

"It's difficult when she's speaking too fast and saying so many bad words," Levy said smoothly, crossing her arms as she watch Gajeel respond to something with a stuffy nose, only for Juvia to smack him on the head. "What I am picking up, though, I don't blame her for being this angry. Gajeel-kun should have taken my advice in the first place and told her who the hell tried to hit them."

"You mean -?"

"Trinity Raven," Levy finished sourly. "Juvia doesn't remember what happened after she was hit, due to her epilepsy and Gajeel hasn't really bothered to tell her the truth. Thinks she would hotwire one of our cars and turn everyone in that gang inside-out."

"Hearing what the kid did to Fullbuster's pops, I wouldn't be too surprised if she managed to do that," Laxus said boredly before Lucy boldly slapped his arm lightly. "What? If it was Mira or Erza, they'd do the same damn thing."

"Honey, how about you hush your mouth before I sew it shut?" Mirajane sang cutely as she dabbed her cotton balls with alcohol for Gajeel's face, making Laxus swallow thickly and excuse himself to take a seat at the bar.

"Still not happy you two took Ju-chan without telling me," Levy also added in, looking pointedly towards Erza and Jellal.

Erza was sitting on the counter by Levy while Jellal leaned against his wife on the stool, resting his head on her lap while she carefully rubbed his scalp. "Even if we told you, you wouldn't have let her go, would you?"

"Probably not," Levy whispered lowly.

Gajeel suddenly yelped in pain when his sister pinched the knife cut on his cheek, making Lucy jump and look at Levy worriedly. The petite woman shrugged. "He said something about how it wasn't any of her business to worry about him. We all know better than that."

Juvia yelled something at Gajeel to the point that Mirajane had difficulty reaching for his wounds, having him stand up tall. He towered over Juvia with fire in his eyes as he yelled something in Russian that made the other's eyes widen and catch Levy's attention in a snap.

"_Gajeel_!" Levy snapped in pure anger, having everyone notice the change in the atmosphere as Levy marched forward to her two favorite people and push him back down. Juvia and Gajeel didn't stop their intense stare at each other as Levy put in her two cents in the language, yet it didn't stop tears swelling in Juvia's eyes…

It didn't escape Gray, though, as he grabbed one of Mirajane's smaller aid kits and got up from his line at the bar for the woman's treatment and approached the three. Levy allowed Gray to touch Juvia's shoulder and whisper quietly.

"Come on, Juvia," he told her. "Come with me and help, okay? Don't push it."

A moment of silence passed before Juvia bit her lip and nodded, trying to keep in her tears as she broke eye contact from Gajeel and turned around with him wrapping an arm around her shoulder. Gray carefully led her away towards the elevators and away from everyone, while Gajeel watched with narrowed eyes.

"Ya better not do anything to her, Stripper!" Gajeel barked a snarl before Levy smacked him on the head hard. He groaned in pain and held his head. "What was that for, huh?"

"You do _not_ say that infront of your own _sister_ or _me_, Gajeel Redfox!" Levy yelled at him with the most dangerous look Lucy had ever saw her friend display. It nearly rivaled against Juvia's temper and scared the blonde woman enough to wonder if she should do her best to stay out of the situation. "Use your fucking head before you speak next time, you understand?"

Levy marched the other way, towards the mechanic station and most likely towards her tiny apartment room. Gajeel remained sitting in his spot, looking off to nowhere as Mirajane blinked and politely asked if she could finally tend to his cuts and bruises, waiting for him to only make a low grunting noise and close his eyes.

Lucy looked between remaining where she was or off to help Levy in her room, only for Erza to notice her mental plan and shake her head slowly. The blonde woman hesitated for a moment before sighing, taking a few steps over to where Natsu was sitting, unusually quiet and patient, and having him look her way and offer a small, comforting smile.

Despite not getting his with anything too bad, he did have a couple bruises and a small scratch on his collarbone with dirt. Lucy carefully rest her hands on the top of his head and tangled her fingers in his hair, watching him smile and rest his forehead against her abdomen.

"Mira, can I borrow the alcohol when you're done, please?" Lucy asked with a wet smile, feeling Natsu's strong hands hold on to her hips and his thumbs lightly brush the exposed skin above her jeans.

Mirajane smiled as she applied a bandage tape to Gajeel's cheek, ignoring how he winced. "Of course, sweetie. Don't use too much where the skin is broken, or it might irritate him. Natsu's is a bit picky about some products. Always says he wants it to scar, but no way in hell is he getting an infection on my watch."

Juvia sat on the counter by the sink and instantly began fiddling with the kit Gray took from Mirajane's box, ignoring how Gray was watching her pull out the antiseptic wipes. Tears were still holding up in her eyes and her brows furrowed, yet she was showing resistance in exposing her cries as hard as she could.

Gray didn't like that.

"Y'know, I brought you up so you could let it go with no one around," Gray spoke after a while, pressing his thumb briefly to his bottom lip to find that he had a nasty cut from one of Vidaldus' punches - probably from a bolt sewn to the gloves, he didn't know.

"You're bleeding," Juvia said and reached up to use the wipe on his mouth, holding him still when he flinched at the contact and uttered a curse word.

"As much as I appreciate your help over Mira's," Gray muttered in slurs against the pressure, "I want to know what you and your brother were arguing about."

"Gray-sama wouldn't understand."

"Well, _obviously_." Gray grimaced and remained patient as Juvia finished cleaning the cut on his lip, doing his best to not complain about the stinging. Once she was done, Gray let out a relieved breath. "But he did say something that is upsetting you, and I don't like seeing you upset. Was it about what happened at the race?"

"To put it pointly, it was _Gray-sama_ who threw the first punch, not Nii-chan," Juvia said flatly and narrowed her eyes at him. "Gray-sama was certainly being stupid."

"Don't change the subject, Juvia," Gray told her seriously and she stopped in the middle of grabbing another wipe. He carefully held her chin and forced her to look at him. "Tell me what happened, please."

A hard blink and Juvia's tears fell down her cheeks. Shaking her head slowly, Juvia's shoulders hiccuped as she held her head in her hands while Gray's hand moved to her side. "Gray-sama doesn't know what it's like, okay? Juvia can't lose Nii-chan - he's the only family Juvia has left, and she doesn't want him to end up getting killed because of Juvia!"

Gray watched her rub her eyes with the heel of her palms, feeling helpless in watching her cry like this. "We promised each other after Dad left, that we won't leave each other behind on anything. We go one jobs together, we race together and we fight our problems together," she sobbed. "Nii-chan leaving Juvia when she was out cold and never telling Juvia who tried to kill us… He could have been killed and Juvia wouldn't have known!"

"Juvia, he left you here because you would be safe," Gray told her. "You were nearly bleeding your life out, you know that?"

"He never said where he was going, so Juvia could help him! Juvia thought he was gone forever, and she wouldn't have had a chance to say good bye!" Hugging herself tightly, she attempted to suppress her shivers. "Gray-sama doesn't get it. Juvia never got to say goodbye to her mother or her father, you still have Silver-sama and your own mother who still live and you know they love you!

"If Gray-sama were to do something dangerous, he would still think for a second about his parents, and how they would feel if Gray-sama left them forever," she went on. "Juvia would give anything to have her mother come back home from that car crash, or her father walking through the door after a race for dinner, but…

"Nii-chan still has chances to live, yet he risks them for things that I have caused and he gets hurt," Juvia trembled. "He promised that he would never leave me behind, even if it's something dangerous. No secrets from each other."

Slowly, Gray's arms found their way to wrap around her and step closer to the counter, letting her bury her face in his chest and cling on to his shirt tightly. His hands rubbing her back caused her to shake, yet hide her face more and let her tears stain him.

"H-he told Juvia th...that she should just give up on h-him. Th-that he's not _w-worth_ for me to worry for," she cried. "He said, i-if he were to die, that J-Juvia should just _forget_ about him and g-get away… I can't. I can't give up on him like that..!"

"He didn't mean that, Juvia," he told her quietly. "He doesn't want you to get hurt. He was really scared for you when you got hurt, you know that? He was actually _scared_ of letting you go before he left."

Juvia whimpered against him and he cradled her head soothingly. "I was scared, too, when he brought you here that night. I thought I was going to lose you," he said honestly. "I couldn't think straight when I saw how scared your brother was. I had never seen Gajeel scared of anything before, but you know…"

Stepping back, Gray gently held her hot, wet cheeks and made her look into his eyes. "Seeing how scared he was told me how much he loves you, Juvia. He wouldn't leave you behind if he didn't think he could handle it alone, that's why he brought you to Levy - _to us_ \- because he knew that he could come back to you.

"You know your brother, Juvia," Gray told her. "He only wants what is best for you, always. Why do you think he kicks anyone's ass who smokes around you, or gets pissed whenever someone tries to hit on you? Hell, how many times has he chased me out of the bar just for talking to you?"

Juvia sniffed and glanced down, prompting Gray to take her hands and hold on to them firmly. "Gajeel most likely went to show Trinity Raven that he's not backing down from anyone who comes at him or you. Knowing him, he probably wanted to scare the shit out of Vidaldus and turn him into a pile of mush for what he's been trying to do."

"He shouldn't have gone alone," Juvia whispered.

"But he wasn't," Gray corrected her just as quietly. "Natsu, Laxus and I were there with him, didn't you see? Mira and Lucy were there as well, and Erza and Jellal were close since you were with them. It was me who started the fight, when Vidaldus started talking about you."

She nodded stiffly. "Juvia heard…"

"Gajeel knows that Fairy Tail cares for you two, so we wouldn't leave him to face those assholes alone. We wouldn't do that to you," he said and wiped a tear away from her face. "Besides, your brother would've had to chain me down to keep me from trying to rip Vidaldus' face off when he started blabbing."

"It wasn't Gray-sama's business to -"

"It was my business," Gray interrupted her. "And you wanna know why?"

Taking her left hand and tangling their fingers, Gray brought them up to his mouth and spoke against her fingers, locking eyes with hers. "As I have said before, it _is_ my business if someone is trying to take you away. I ain't gonna stand by and let anyone treat you like you're nothing, Juvia, because you mean something more to me and you _know_ that."

Juvia's eyes squinted at him as her brows furrowed. "You know Juvia isn't… She's done things that isn't _right_, Gray-sama. Juvia has _killed_ people, and even sold herself for -"

"It never changed the fact that you mean so much more to me than I can say," he told her strongly. "I ain't a openly honest man either, but you haven't shut me out after discovering that all you've known about me in Fairy Tail has been a lie all these years, have you?"

Her eyes growing wide and a different type of pink staining her cheeks, Juvia slowly shook her head, refusing to look at him with embarrassment. His eyes softening, Gray kissed her knuckles and pulled her closer. "Everyone has flaws, Juvia, but it makes us no different from being human. What I see right now is still the same Juvia who hit me in the head with a rock, is still the same Juvia who is always so, so selfless for those she loves."

They were close, with her sitting on the edge of the counter and him pressed between her legs and his arm around her like a protective cage. The hand holding hers slowly slipped from her grasp and drift to her wrist, her shoulder and up her neck until he was cradling her cheek in his palm, feeling her pulse quicken against his fingers when his forehead touched her own. The hand he was once holding shakingly went to grip the collar of his shirt, and she bit the edge of her bottom lip.

"So, what is Gray-sama trying to say about himself..?" Juvia whispered, her voice cracking from her previous tears and crying and not yet regained her voice properly.

"I'm saying that I won't let anyone take you away from _me_," he confessed. "You're not like other women, that's for sure, but I wouldn't want anyone else to have my full attention but you."

A sniffled chuckle slipped from her lips and a shy smile. "Gray-sama is so bad with his words," she told him and he made a sour face.

"It's not -!"

"Juvia doesn't mind that Gray-sama is a stubborn man," she hushed him as she poked his cheek, making his face flush. She attempted to try and make light of the situation, and he knew it, as she tried to lean her cheek away from his palm. "Gray-sama is always more of a action-person than a talking-person. Juvia learned that a long time -"

Gray briefly pressed his lips against her mouth, just a simple, firm introduction that only lasted for a couple seconds before he pulled back. His stare at her bewildered expression was serious and somewhat nervous, yet his hold on her was secure and meaningful. With their chest pressed against each other, they could feel their pounding heartbeats and her surprised breathing.

"I'm serious, Juvia," he said in a low voice. "I don't _want_ anyone else."

When she didn't say anything for a while, Gray swallowed took a deep breath. "I'm… Sorry, I-I shouldn't have done that," he said quickly, clearing his throat as he face grew even more hot with absolute embarrassment. "Your bro i-is going to kill me, if he finds out."

Tugging on the collar of his shirt, Juvia brought him back down so she could brush her lips lightly, as if asking him with closed eyes and pink cheeks. With that, Gray lost all thought and didn't hesitate to hold her properly and kissed her once more.

A couple, light and gentle kisses, with her responding to him with her own shy enthusiasm slowly formed Gray the confidence to cradle her head and deepen the kiss.

He could taste her kiss and how sweet she was whenever his mouth touched her, tasting the slight salt of her tears from her previous sadness melting away to a different passion that only he had dreamt about. The way her other hand tangled into his hair and held him close brought him to a dare to open his mouth and touch the tip of his tongue to the seam of her lips.

The softest noise she made and how she parted her lips for him to keep going, how she pressed herself even closer to him made his heart pound as he took over the kiss more properly and slanted his mouth. She whimpered softly against his lips in encouragement and he felt her thighs slowly rise against his hips and _squeezed..._

Having to balance himself with a hand on the bathroom counter, Gray lazily explored her mouth and attempted to learn what made her moan so cutely and hot gasp when he pressed his hips against her for a brief moment. He gently sucked on her lips and offered her a window to respond, which prompted her to carefully bite his lower lip.

"_Fuck_!" Gray hissed as he pulled away suddenly and pinched the wound on his lip. Mixing with the amazing flavor of Juvia was now the taste of copper, and Gray growled in irritation at the major mood-killer while Juvia gasped in absolute horror.

"Oh my God. I am so, _so_ sorry, Gray-sama!" she spoke quickly and tried to help him by assessing the cut. Yeah, it was bleeding, but Gray could really care less about a simple cut on his lips when he had a very beautiful woman in his arms. "Ahh, let Juvia grab another wipe. Juvia shouldn't have done that - it's all Juvia's fault, and now Gray-sama is bleeding and..!"

"Really, Juvia, it's not that bad," he tried calming her down when she grabbed his extra roll of toilet paper and shoved it against his face while she dug in the First Aid. "Juvia, you weren't the one who got me hurt in the first -"

"But when Gray-sama and Juvia were making-out, Juvia bit you to try and be sexy," she kept going in her panic. "Juvia was getting into it, and she didn't remember at the moment that Gray-sama was hurt. Now it's all ruined!"

"Nothing is ruined, Juvia," Gray told her as he held her hips, realizing that her legs were still wrapped around him. He had to force himself to calm down while being close to her body, not wanting to freak her out any more than once she realized what they had done.

Which, became really evident by how red her face got and huge her eyes grew.

Holding her own face, Juvia tensed up and began speaking in Russian - well, he thought it was Russian. He wasn't too sure with how much she was stuttering and switching languages back and forth. What he managed to make out from what she sputtering also made his face grow red, such as "kissing", "tongue", and "feeling really hot".

Despite being clumsy to force herself to grab the wipe from the kit, Juvia froze when they met eye contact and both of them blinked for a long minute.

Becoming incredibly bashful, Juvia glanced down to her lap and spoke in a cute tone that always made Gray want to put his head down and take a few minutes. "C-can Juvia please...help Gray-sama with his cute, p-please..?"

Glancing to the mirror behind Juvia, Gray actually took the minute to look at the damage he had obtained from his fight with Vidaldus. A cut on his lip that was definitely more evident than the punch from Gajeel a while back; scrapes from his neck down to beneath the collar of his shirt and peppered across his arms. Now that he thought about it, when he wasn't distracted to what was happening around him or busy helping himself to Juvia, his elbows stung from the cement scrapes he got.

As much as he hated getting medical attention (doctors were not his favorite people to go see, even when he knew he was super sick or injured), he wasn't going to deny Juvia's help. Coming more to reality, Gray figured he was going too fast and hard on her with himself, making him feel guilty as he leaned away from her and carefully took off his shirt, just for her to get better access to them.

Tossing his shirt to the floor, Gray ran his hands through his hair and sighed. "I'm sorry, Juvia. That wasn't...it wasn't my place to kiss you like that, you know? You were upset, and I turned it on myself and…"

Shaking her head shyly, Gray didn't miss the little, sweet smile she attempted to hide. "N-no, it was… Juvia is really happy that Gray-sama did," she told him softly. "Juvia just wants to know if...Gray-sama wants to really have Juvia as -"

"Of course I want you as my girl," he grunted out with a fake cough, looking away when she smiled brightly at him like a giddy child with their first present of the winter holiday. "I just don't want your brother to kill me over it. There's a rule, or something, right?"

Juvia giggled and shook her head as she reached for him by the edge of his pants, pulling him closer. "Nii-chan and Levy-chan have been dating just fine with Master Makarov's knowledge, as far as Juvia can tell. Besides, Juvia is certain that Master Jose won't tell Juvia she can't, after everything she's dealt with."

Gray did a double-take. "Wait, your cousin and brother are -?"

"Nii-chan is Juvia's stepbrother," she corrected him. "As weird as it may sound, with their personalities and all, they're kinda the _cutest couple_ Juvia has ever seen."

When she looked up to Gray, she frowned at seeing the horrified look on his face as he mumbled under his breath. "_I'm going to give that short punk so much shit for all the times she's teased me about all this_…"

The sudden sting of the alcohol wipe on his lip made him flinch again. It wasn't horrible as while Juvia held the wipe to the cut and leaned up on the counter to press a kiss to the other side of his mouth. Gray blinked before relaxing into the kiss, waiting until she finished cleaning his cut to turn his head a little and give her a proper one in return.

"If Gray-sama can behave while Juvia helps him, she promises that she will try to make it as painless as possible," she told him against his lips, and he smirked. "Juvia wouldn't cause too much harm to _her Gray-sama_."

"I'll be real and say that I _really_ like the sound of that," he chuckled and nuzzled her affectionately. He stopped and became serious once more. "But, be honest with me, are you okay about...us?"

"If Juvia wasn't, Gray-sama would be on the floor bleeding for being so bold with Juvia, wouldn't he?"

Taking a moment to consider what she said, Gray slowly nodded and rolled his eyes, a half-grin on his face and he did his best to not to bother the cut on his lip again. "Touche."

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"So it was apparent that Trinity Raven was hired by the same investors as Gajeel and Juvia for the hit, and that Hades put a call in to them to have them take care of it," Jellal said casually beside his wife, who was sitting on the couch with Mirajane as Gajeel sat with an irritated look on his face by Makarov's desk. Luckily, his injuries didn't require any more stitches to his body, but the irritation and scratches to his skin were enough for Mirajane to add therapy cream to the cuts on his face and dab it to the scrapes that now had bandages holding it all underneath. The cut on his cheek had surgical skin tape and still wore his dirtied shirt and old jeans.

Makarov nodded in understanding of Jellal's given information, looking to Gajeel and offering him a polite look. "I understand you must be very irritated with them, but I am proud of you for not...well, you didn't kill anyone, so that's a good pointer."

"Thank Fullbuster for losing his cool, not me," Gajeel snorted and crossed his arms. "I was going to save all that pent up rage for when I rip 'em apart, but I guess Stripper had other ideas."

"Do you think Vidaldus was trying to cause a scene on purpose?" Erza asked.

"Woman, you were there with Juvia, weren't ya?" Gajeel grunted and slouched in his chair. "He wanted to know why I was hanging around with your posse."

"What he said before we had to bail was pretty colorful, too," Laxus joined in with Gajeel and picked at his ear. "Why the fuck does Trinity Ravel have so much beef with you in the first place?"

"Look, those pieces of shit have always been a pain in the ass, wanting to cause trouble with Jose for money or junk. Usual competition with racing in the streets and that oily mother fucker tryin' to get in my sister's pants with a price? That ain't nothing we're used to," Gajeel explained. "Although, what they pulled in the parking lot that night hasn't been done before. Like, sure, we've fought with them here and there and always kicked their asses, but ain't we ever dealt with them ramming their cars and physically try to kill us."

"There's a difference?" Erza flatly glared at him and Gajeel shrugged.

"Listen toots, I can sit on my ass all night and tell you all the stories of how we've dealt with Trinity Raven," Gajeel sassily responded to Erza, nearly making Mirajane giggle at the change of attitude. "Trinity Raven's never dared to try and kill us, plain and simple. Try to kick our ass in a fist fight because they think they're better than us? Average shit."

"Gangs in general don't try to kill each other just for the hell of it, even if you had done something to piss them off before," Makarov interjected. Rubbing his chin, the old man thought it over before asking slowly. "Have you ever met Trinity Raven's boss, Gajeel?"

Gajeel, in return, shrugged. "Those posers act so high-and-mighty by going with their own thing, but we've never got in contact with their boss before. Jose has asked us to get in contact with their gang at one point, but we've never got any callbacks, messages or even a damage bill for whenever we marked one of their guys up with something sharp. Person or car," the racer rubbed the top of his head. "Even with that snake-guy, Vidaldus, wanting to purchase, that's normally something discussed between leaders."

"No one runs a gang without regulations and communication, enemy or not," Makarov shook his head. "They can't all run it themselves and make it through with joining races through John's emails and secret messages."

"Could be Acnologia?"

Heads turned to Mirajane as the platinum blonde lightly shrugged her shoulders. "I mean, with the possibility of Acnologia running all of this with of hiring Gajeel and Juvia, the boss of Trinity Raven, all at once? He had Hades take care of Gajeel and Juvia, since you two never really met the original employer or know his name."

"Then why go to hire another gang to do some dirty-work in the first place? Those guys are dirty enough to take care of business, from my experience," Gajeel snapped.

"That's enough now, son," Makarov ushered him to relax more in his seat.

"That's not Acnologia's style anyway," Jellal put out rather simply, Erza nodding slowly in agreement. "With different areas that Acnologia runs, he wouldn't screw it all up when he hires new aid and then kill them...especially without seeing them die in person."

"He had a knack for that, from what I remember," Erza said lowly, not meeting anyone's eyes. "The boss would contact him and have to wait, so the person who was in trouble with Acnologia would have to wait until he 'made' time to come down and decide what he wanted done. Starvation and bad holding conditions was the norm for the gang Jellal and I were from."

"Unless he has gotten old enough or sick that he gave up that habit," Laxus tried and the married couple shook their head. The man sighed softly, yet accepted their conclusion.

"So, if it's not Acnologia, it's someone who likes to fuck around with other people's gang by hiring them, then trying to kill them, noting Trinity Raven as one of the gangs," Erza said sourly. Looking to Makarov, the redheaded woman looked at him somewhat pleadingly. "Isn't there anything that the base is sending you, Master? Any new cases or notifications of suspicious activity?"

"That's the weirdest part," Makarov frowned. "As much as this isn't being as secretive as we thought, the station isn't saying anything that they want us to look into."

"What's that mean?" Gajeel rolled his head towards the old man.

"It means that they're taking it as typical gang trouble," Makarov explained. "Lately, we've been instructed to wait for further material for our case of Acnologia and have been doing our own side-quest under the higher-up's noses."

"Sounds illegal," Gajeel smirked. "I like it. But...what does that mean for what's happening now, then? We tell the FBI or whatever 'station' there is, and attack Trinity Raven with guys with bulletproof shields?"

"No, we don't do that," Makarov smiled.

"And I thought the movies would get something right," Gajeel grumbled and kicked his feet up on Makarov's desk.

The old man didn't seem to mind it as much as everyone else in the office would have thought, yet he did seem to have a mischievous look in his eye as he stared at Gajeel. They waited until Gajeel opened his eyes back up, realizing what was happening and frowned at the old man's stare.

"What'ya want, Gramps?" Gajeel muttered, as if he knew he had to give in with whatever was going on.

"Mind if we have a little chat with Jose for a little while?"

Gajeel made a face that reminded everyone of a grumpy toddler, taking a deep breath and pouting. Makarov only grinned bigger. "C'mon, boy, I know for a fact that you memorized every number to get in contact with Jose from wherever he's hiding. Or, I could ask dear Juvia to help out."

"Don't wanna do that," Gajeel warned him. "If it's Juvia who calls Jose, then you'd have to wait a few hours of them chatting and he can finally realize where the caller ID is from."

Makarov shrugged. "I've shared prison cells and beers with Jose, it's nothing I can't handle. But _you_ may not hear the end of it," the man gestured with a snap of his fingers and aiming finger-guns to him, which Gajeel growled at.

"Then you do this alone," Gajeel demanded sharply. "If he has a bone to pick, tell 'im to call me tomorrow when my face isn't so swollen."

"That's fine," Makarov nodded and glanced to his members with a softer smile while Gajeel grabbed a pen from his desk and a post-it note, scribbling the numbers down before pushing it away. "I'll call you if I need anything else. Until then, the rest of the night is for your relaxation. Make sure to keep the garage doors closed and pay attention for any alarms tonight."

Once they were dismissed for Makarov to make the call (Gajeel did mention briefly that Jose didn't have much of a sleeping schedule), the group descended the metal stairs to the garage area. Majority of the younger racers and members have gone off to their apartments, while the older members were huddled at the bar and helping themselves to beers and snacks.

Gajeel's head tilt at the sight in the distance, not noticing the retired racer approach him and touch his shoulder.

"Are you hungry at all, Gajeel?" Mirajane asked sweetly. "I can make you something to eat before you go back to the bar…"

Shaking his head, Gajeel crossed his arms. "No thanks. If it's not too much, I think it'd be best if I spent the night here, instead of the bar. Roads are gonna be crawling with pigs and I don't want to have to get cuffed again."

"Oh," Mirajane perked. "I will go see if we can bunk you -"

"The backseat of the old man's car is comfortable enough," Gajeel interrupted her. Realizing his tone, Gajeel's shoulders slouched and he properly faced the smaller woman. "Sorry, I didn't mean to sound like that. But, you know...don't want to be anywhere I'm not wanted."

Glancing towards the mechanic station, Mirajane's blue eyes softened at the little light she could see hidden behind the brick wall of Levy's work counter and the entrance to her room. Placing a friendly hand on Gajeel's less injured arm, she smiled at him. "I'm sure there's a room where they won't mind you spending the night, if you talked to them."

When he didn't say anything, Mirajane only nodded in a silent encouragement as she went to her waiting fiance and held his arm sweetly, allowing Laxus to guide her over to the bar and proclaim their entrance, which the older men and her younger brother (along with his girlfriend) cheered and held up their drinks.

Gajeel sniffed and looked to the married couple conversing with each other at the bottom of the stairs quietly, yet it didn't seem anything too serious. Slowly, and with heavy steps, Gajeel walked towards them long enough for both to notice and look his way. Remaining still with his arms, Gajeel nodded in greeting to them before speaking.

"I just want to say that I don't hold anything against you for taking Juvia to the scrimmage," he started out slowly as Erza put her hands on her hips and Jellal blinked. "I'd rather have her around people I know can take better care of her in situations than I can.

"And, if I can say," Gajeel took a breath, "I was never aware that you two had ties with Acnologia in the past."

"Child enslavement," Jellal told him briefly. "The man you and Juvia killed, Zancrow, was the one who held us until we managed to escape."

Nodding slowly, Gajeel glared at the ground. "Zancrow had stalked me and my sister when we were kids, and my father did all he could to keep him away. Not the best memories of my childhood, but the kid doesn't remember."

"That's probably a good thing," Erza said lowly.

"If I had the chance and on better circumstances between us, I'm sure you would have wanted a hand to putting him out," Gajeel said, looking to Erza. "Don't take it wrong, but I can tell where some of your street smarts come from now, considering what y'all are on the inside."

"Everyone who is Fairy Tail comes from different stories, but from the similar material of concrete and pavement," Erza stated and Gajeel blinked. "As much as I know you're not openly willing to join us as Juvia is, we're a lot more alike than you realize, Gajeel."

"I'm startin' to see that now," Gajeel accepted with a confirming nod. "I just wanted to say, I want to try and be more on your guys' side from now on, but I don't expect any of ya to treat me any better."

Jellal and Erza glanced to each other before snorting a chuckle, small smiles on their faces as they looked back to the Phantom Lord man. "We never had anything against you to begin with, really," Jellal told him. "Whatever has happened back then doesn't have to define what we think of you now."

"Although, you can cause as much ruckus as Natsu and Gray can," Erza smirked bigger at Gajeel's stiffening face, yet he didn't snap back, "we know you're not a bad man. Criminal records don't mean jack shit here, so long as you have good intentions."

"It's all with the family, Gajeel," Jellal finished off as he swung an arm around his wife's shoulder. "Spend some time with us and relax, you start to kinda realize that we're just a unique family, rather than a gang or a secret organization."

Gajeel watched them walk away and towards the bar to join the other adults, leaving him to see how openly friendly and familiar they all were with each other. As much as Gajeel didn't know them individually, he has - at one point or another, he knew - crossed paths with them at the tracks.

Even now, when he was being treated by the retired race woman and had a crowd around him during his whole argument with Juvia, no one pointed fingers or got in his business about how he wasn't from their turf or relations. Since Gajeel and Levy agreed to keep their relationship as secretive as possible, saved for a couple of people they both knew would keep their mouths shut, he has never been on conversation terms with most people from Fairy Tail…

"Ah _fuck_," he groaned at remembering what had happened earlier, prompting him to force himself to go towards the closed mechanic area.

=xxx=

"So this is Fairy Tail's logo?" Lucy asked curiously, her finger tapping her boyfriend's right shoulder, tracing the tattoo with the tip until he began squirming from the tickle.

Trying to watch a movie upside-down is not what Lucy would call a smart move, but she didn't bother to judge him. All cleaned of his cuts and recently showered (after she showered first), they picked out a old musical film, but neither were really paying attention as she wrote in her notebook and he seemed to just listen to her pen scraping the paper with ink.

From her touching his tattoo, he slid further to the floor and flopped to the rug with a thud, snorting out his shivers. "It's not a _logo_, Luce. It's a _symbol _of our gang," he told her with a matter-of-fact grin, yet not teasing her at all. "You know how some gangs have tattoos to symbolize and represent their gang? We get 'em too, since we somewhat are."

"I noticed others having it, like Gray, Cana and Erza, and yours as well," she said, noting how often she has seen Gray stripped of his shirt and displayed his tattoo for her view - although, his color was dark blue, nearly black. Cana's was similar, yet on her hipbone, and Erza's was more blue and on her upper arm, similar to Natsu's. "Does everyone have it?"

"Most of us," Natsu said as he rubbed his nose with his pointer finger. "Jellal doesn't, but he already has a face tattoo that he got before he and Erza married. Gildarts has his on the same side as Cana, but on his chest, and Makarov got his own in the middle."

"Master Makarov has one?" Lucy raised a brow.

"Yeah, he designed it himself before he was taken in by the station," Natsu nodded proudly. "He says it's _suppose_ to be a fairy, but no one can tell. Art isn't Gramps' strong suit, lemme tell ya."

"But why a _fairy_, of all things that could be possible for a gang symbol?" Lucy frowned as Natsu helped himself back onto the couch, using his arm to lay behind Lucy on the couch and looked her way.

"He said to me once, 'cause I asked all the time on why he wanted a little girl's thing for a badass gang," Natsu said. He chuckled when Lucy lightly smacked his chest in punishment. "He said that, fairies are mysteries and so are we: That, if the lowest of the low people - criminals, homeless and unwanted people - can make a major difference for the good of the world, fairies could possibly exist as well, if you try hard enough and believe."

Resting her head against the cushion of his shoulder, Lucy curled up against him and watched him speak with a proud tone. "So, fairies are like our own mascot, in a way."

"Yeah, although I think a dragon is more killer," Natsu said cooly. "Why do you ask anyway? Somethin' on your mind?"

"I just notice the tattoo and always wondered about it," she said simply as she got herself more comfortable. Swinging her legs over his lap and closing her notebook, she shrugged when he gave her a look. "I dunno, it kinda speaks to me…"

Natsu looked at his tattoo and looked back to her. "What'ya mean, Luce?"

"Call it stupid, but it just makes me feel good whenever I look at it," she giggled lightly and looked down to her lap in embarrassment. "Like, just by looking at it, it makes me realize that it's a familiar person and not a stranger. I see it and that's how I know I'm safe and happy."

"That's not stupid. I think that's pretty neat," Natsu told her and kissed her blonde head. "Kinda like my scarf. Whenever I wear it or even so much as see it, I know things are alright around me and it makes me happy."

Glancing to his scarf hanging on a wooden chair in the kitchen, both of them looked at it for a moment. Resting his cheek on top of his head, Natsu smiled softly. "It was my dad's scarf. He always had it on whenever he raced or went on a job, but whenever he came home, he'd wrap me with it to help me sleep at night.

"It was weird, because he wore it all day, and it'd get dirty sometimes," he went on quietly. "But, it still smelled like his soap and just hime. It was always warm when I had it on and it made me feel safe a lot, like a security blanket…"

Lucy glanced up to see how his lips twitched downward. "Until, one night, he tucked me in with his scarf for bed. It was the same as it always been: kinda dirty, but still smelled like my dad and was so warm, just like him. He left after I fell asleep and...just never came back."

"Natsu?" she whispered, her hand resting on his bare chest, right where his heart was. She felt it beat steadily against her palm.

"Still, whenever wore it, it never changed from feeling like my dad was right there with me," he continued, a half-smile on his lips. "It's like magic, you know? That scarf always got me through my bad days and healed any pain I had on the inside…"

Looking down to her, he smiled. "Like the time I had you wear it, because you didn't feel good."

She nodded a little, a shy of a smile coming on her own lips. "It actually did work something that night."

"If that's the same as how you feel for our gang tattoo, then that's a pretty amazing thing to have, Lucy," Natsu said to her. "I'm glad you can have that with us."

Resting his cheek on her head once more, Lucy cuddled herself closer to him. Even as she could barely see the tattoo from the angle she was in, she still got the glimpse of the tip of the "tail", as she called it. Her insides filled with warmth as she looked at it and her smile grew to a more relaxed and happy smile.

Just like the scarf and tattoo, Lucy felt the absolute same emotions and tingling sensation of feeling at home, just by being with Natsu as well.

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=xxx=

AUTHOR'S ENDING NOTE - I wanted to bring up Lucy's thoughts on the gang tattoo, since I haven't spoken about it much in this fanfiction, but I hope every reader uses their imagination with our protagonists with the tattoos as well o:

Please Review, Follow, Favorite or watch a silly movie you loved as a kid. Have a wonderful day and I'll see you all soon!


	19. Chapter 19

So a Guest-babeh asked me to explain Gajeel and Juvia's age? Gajeel is seven years older than Juvia in this story, making him 27 when she's 20. Hope this helps you out a little bit!

Be sure to Review, Follow, Favorite or stay beautiful!

=xxx=

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R_i_**d**e '_**e**_m _H_**a**r_**d**_

Chapter Nineteen

Lucy comfortably snuggled her cheek against the soft blue hair of her friend Juvia Lockser, who had her head resting on Mirajane's counter with her arms being used as a makeshift pillow and her hands curling in comfort at the cuddling sensation the blonde was giving her. It was obvious that the Phantom Lord woman was tired, seeing the light purple shadows under her eyes and how pink her nose was from constant rubbing and blowing her nose with tissues. When Lucy came down to help herself to one of Mirajane's coffee creations to perk herself more for the noon day, she couldn't help but remain there with Juvia as she waited for some breakfast to be brought out to her.

Seeing Gray coming into the area made Lucy smile, seeing the small patches of bandages and carefully applied cloths to his naked torso that was so obviously done by Juvia herself from last night. Gray glanced towards the two girls at the bar and Lucy waved in greeting, but made no move to try and pester the napping one. When Lucy pointed silently to Juvia's head, Gray shook his own with a half-smile and held his hands up in surrender before going on towards where Gildarts and Cana were having their breakfast with Erza. Lucy smiled and returned to her seat and carefully pet the top of Juvia's hair.

"Gray is awake, Juvia-chan," Lucy whispered to her, seeing how Juvia's lips twitched and her cheeks went pink. "You wanna go see him?"

Juvia buried her face into the crook of her arm. She was wearing one of Cana's huge black hoodies and black shorts, so the extra cloth of the sleeves made it possible to hide her own face.

"No, thank you," Juvia said softly. "Juvia thinks she bothered Gray-sama enough."

"I don't think he minds it as much as you think," Lucy told her happily, seeing Mirajane holding the curtain open from the kitchen to let Lisanna out with two plates. "What do you say, Lisanna-chan?"

The short haired woman grinned as Lucy pointed between the snoozing racer and the dark haired one getting into his morning argument with Cana. "I think so," she sang as she set the plates on the counter infront of the two women. "He was pretty persistent when I tried to get Juvia to bed last night at my place. He wanted to make sure she was okay. _Isn't that sweet_?"

Lisanna lightly ruffled Juvia's head, making her groan airly, giggling and kissing her head. "Head up, Juvia-chan. I made you eggs and potatoes with extra love."

Heaving a sigh, Juvia slouched upward with sore eyes yet a strong smile on her lips. "Thank you, Lisanna-chan."

"And yours, Lucy-chan," Lisanna winked to the blonde, who giggled in return, "also has extra love and sugar!"

Lucy chuckled happily and took a fork from the platinum blonde. "Thanks, Lisanna-chan. You're the best."

"I know!" the answered cheerfully and went back into the kitchen to her older sister, ready to help prepare for the rest of the breakfast that the gang members will want as soon as the first grumble of their stomachs emerge.

Both girls dug into their breakfast, Juvia a bit more slower to chew and swallow while Lucy nearly became halfway done with her plate by the time Juvia was finishing up her eggs. Lucy knew that Juvia had cried a lot yesterday, as she overheard Natsu and Gray talking last night after they were cleaned up from the brawl; that Gajeel had said some triggering things to Juvia of a promise they made to each other after they lost their father at such a young age, and Gajeel basically crushed it and threw it in her face.

From what she heard Gray tell her boyfriend, that he doesn't believe that Gajeel meant it and that he was just trying to keep Juvia safe from doing anything dangerous that may come with Trinity Raven. Obviously seeing the damage that was done to both Phantom Lord members weeks ago, Lucy couldn't really blame Gajeel for being super paranoid for his sister's safety. Still, he didn't have to make Juvia cry so much that it made her feel so horrible right now…

Lucy still had yet to see Levy, too, and she wondered if her other blue haired friend was doing the same as her cousin. Glancing over to the familiar sound of Levy's door opening, Lucy restrained herself from calling her over as soon as she saw the petite mechanic.

Dressed in her favorite robe and her usual steel-toe boots, Levy made her way to the bar. Her short hair was a mess and she looked a bit tired, but not the same tired that Juvia was showing on her face; something more content, like every little thing was pieced together the way it should be and Levy was okay with it in the end of it all. Seeing Lucy look her way, Levy smiled softly and glanced to Juvia, who still had her back turned to her and was still eating.

Coming towards the two girls, Levy slipped her arms behind Juvia and hugged her. Resting her cheek against Juvia's back and sighing, Levy cuddled her cousin. "Ju...ju...chan…" she whispered slowly in each syllable to her.

"Mmm," Juvia mumbled as she shoved another forkful of food into her mouth, but not behaving rudely to Levy, who seem to understand the behavior much more better than most people.

Levy said something in Russian that Lucy didn't understand - as usual, but it seemed to perk Juvia's attitude as she straightened from her slouched position and turned in her stool towards her cousin. Lucy watched as Juvia abandoned her half-eaten breakfast and got up from her seat, making her way cautiously to the mechanic area and behind the brick wall.

Lucy saw Levy hop on Juvia's spot and take her fork, picking out a piece of potato with a pretty content look on her face. "Uhm...Levy-chan?"

"Yes, Lu-chan," Levy sang softly as she nibbled on her cousin's food without a care.

"Is…" the blonde trailed off and pointed towards where Juvia disappeared, making Levy smile softly as she turned back to her food.

"It's fine. Gajeel-kun and I talked last night and made up, and he said he's ready to talk with Ju-chan about what happened last night," Levy explained quietly. "I made sure he would do it today and get it over with, knowing how he is. Ju-chan, not someone I would worry about when it comes to forgiveness, that's for sure."

"I don't want to sound nosy or anything, but whenever you all talk in Russian, I get worried. Just like when I saw Juvia cry, I got really worried…"

"It's _fine_, Lu-chan. It's sweet enough that you care so much about us," Levy explained to her. "That really means a lot to me and Juvia-chan, and Gajeel-kun, too, if you wanted to know."

"Are you sure?"

"We're tough people, Lu-chan," Levy winked playfully, forcing Lucy to smile a little bit by her upbeat attitude. "Don't think you can hurt our feelings or bother us for just worrying. We're all like that one way or another."

"So things are okay now..?" Lucy asked hopefully and smiled when Levy nodded. "Oh, that's so good to hear."

Juvia stuck her head inside Levy's room, eyes scanning the large, lumpy mass that laid under her cousin's blankets. Long, spiky black hair sprouted on the pillow and large feet stuck out at the other end upside down, giving her the result that Gajeel was on his stomach.

Good.

It only took her three large steps before she sprung herself and slammed herself atop of him, making him grunt lowly at the collision with all her weight. Scrambling on his back, Juvia situated herself so her back was on him, facing the ceiling and dramatically dropping her arms out and releasing a sigh.

It took a moment for Gajeel to speak up first, and Juvia waited patiently for him to muster up the courage.

"Hey, squirt," he mumbled, turning his head to the side to breath better.

Juvia closed her eyes and took a breath. "Nii-chan is an assface," she stated matter-of-factly to him.

"The biggest assface known to mankind," he agreed with her. "You should definitely beat the shit out of me and rearrange my face."

"Juvia found a crowbar in Levy-chan's workspace, for starters," she crossed her arms and wiggled herself to be more comfortable against his muscular back. "But, Juvia has yet to find a long enough pole to shove so far up your butt, you could taste it."

They laid there for a moment in silence. Juvia felt Gajeel take a large inhaled breath, lifting and lowering her with ease. "I'm sorry about what I said last night, kid. I shouldn't have said that to you, it was wrong."

"It was _false_," she told him in a venomous tone.

"You can't -"

He grunted when she smacked his side rather sharply. Despite the blanket cushioning it just a little bit, Juvia always had a knack of posing her hand properly to make sure he felt it, that was for sure. "_No_, you listen to Juvia, Nii-chan. You and I both promised each other that we would have each other's backs, no matter what," she told him sharply. "Ever since Daddy left and we went to the bar, you told Juvia that you would never leave her like they did; that, no matter what kind of problem you were in, you wouldn't leave me out of it.

"How many times have we gotten into deep shit and both made it out just fine, huh?" she asked him. "No matter how dangerous or how bad it was, we always got each other out of there some way or another…"

Gajeel paused for a beat, his body feeling like it was deflating. "That time when Totomaru and I got stuck for ransom all those years back, you did something I would have _never_ wanted you to do for me."

"You weren't there, and we _all knew_ the consequences if we didn't do something soon," Juvia reminded him. "Besides, it wasn't that horrible for Juvia's part. Juvia was okay."

"You laid in bed for _three days_, you moron! You didn't talk, you didn't eat!" Gajeel growled. "You weren't _okay_, fuck that shit! You were just a kid, for God's sake!"

"Juvia was sixteen or seventeen, and very well educated before she went in for the deal. Jose made sure that Juvia had all she needed and even tried to talk her out of it."

"Fuckin' idiot did a splendid job. Lettin' my kid sister get fucked by a perverted dickhead like that, I should have castrated Jose when I first got home," Gajeel ranted lowly.

"Yet, Nii-chan and Toto-sensei came home, like you _promised_. And Juvia is pretty certain she has done her part of the promise, like Nii-chan wanted her to."

Gajeel sighed and glanced over his shoulder. "Sometimes I question why…"

"We grew up too fast? We went down the road that no one should ever go?" she listed off some suggestions. "The fact that we're the only ones left for each other, and we're scared shitless of when death actually catches up to us?"

"I just don't want you to feel responsible if anything were to happen, kid," Gajeel confessed. "You're all I got and I don't want you to end up seeing what it's like behind bars, what it's like to be those prostitutes or dealers with no way outta there…"

"Juvia knows, but Juvia is not a desperate woman. Juvia isn't afraid of the world or what it throws at her."

"Don't I know that shit already," Gajeel chuckled quietly, making Juvia smile a little bit. "I'm just sayin' this, but I swear I'm not planning on doing any stupid shit alone for a long while, but if something were to happen…"

Juvia rolled to look at him, and his gaze at her was honest and sincere. "I love ya, kid. And I swear I will go tooth and nail to make sure my baby sister stays happy, even if I end up dead. I want you to have a chance to live your dream."

A wet smile and a glow in her eyes, Juvia held back her tears as she snuggled her head on his shoulder and clung to the blanket. "Juvia loves Nii-chan very much, and she wants you to know that she wants the same for you and Levy-chan…"

"'Kay…" Gajeel mumbled rather quietly, and Juvia could just tell he was trying to hide the incoming blush on his face by burying it into Levy's pillow.

"Juvia wants Nii-chan and Levy-chan to have a nice wedding, with Nii-chan in a good suit and his hair all done nice," she went on in a joyous tone of voice. "Levy in a pretty wedding dress with flowers, with or without a big belly."

"Big belly?" Gajeel gawked at her with confusion.

"Well, Juvia won't know if Levy-chan will be having a baby at the time or not."

"_What the fuck, kid_!" Gajeel panicked and Juvia hid her grin. "I ain't that careless, you know that shit!"

"Juvia wants to be an auntie someday, though, Nii-chan," Juvia shrugged, a large grin on her face. "And knowing how my side of the family works, Juvia is pretty certain that Levy's cute genetics will make sure your children will be precious and make all the other parents jealous."

"You'd love whatever kid I make, you doofus," Gajeel growled.

"Yeah, even if it ends up being a buff baby with a flat ass, Juvia will love Nii-chan and Levy-chan's baby."

"_I DON'T HAVE A FLAT ASS_!"

"Gajeel-kun, you kinda do have a flat ass," Levy's voice came into the conversation as both siblings turned their heads to see the mechanic entering her room, a big, loving smile on her face. Juvia chanted as she used her feet to tap on his rear, emphasising how flat his bottom actually was. Snickering at how her boyfriend grumbled in defeat, Levy approached the bed and looked at the position her cousin was in atop of Gajeel.

"So? What's the final verdict, Ju-chan?" she asked, patting the small portion of Juvia's exposed belly.

"Nii-chan is forgiven _after_ Juvia kicks his ass in the gym," the racer announced, making Gajeel blink.

"Wait, y'all got a gym?"

Lucy easily dodged the incoming hit downward, using her gloved fists to perform a fake uppercut towards Natsu's chin to distract him. When it worked, seeing how his body shifted its weight to one leg only, Lucy brought her opposite leg up and aimed to his side, knocking him backwards with the strength in her leg.

Jumping ontop of Natsu, Lucy pinned him still with one gloved hand to his throat and the other recoiled and ready to strike. Natsu blinked and regained himself and realized what had happened, suddenly breaking into a huge smile and his eyes sparkling up to her.

"That was great, Luce! You totally handed my ass to me!" he cheered, wiggling underneath her in his victory dance.

It was her turn to smile proudly, giggling. "I did, didn't I?"

"I'm proud of ya, Lucy. You learned pretty fast, that's for sure." Natsu opened his arms to her, smiling when she exhaled in relief, dropping her upper body to rest on him. Strong arms carefully wrapping around her, Lucy smiled brightly at the feeling of his heartbeat pounding against her cheek.

The gym was empty except for them. Erza and Jellal were in here earlier and helped Natsu give Lucy pointers for the human body (where is a pressure point, what's best to hit from which angle, etc) and did their own coupling exercises that Lucy more than once found herself watching in awe at how much in sync the married couple were. A couple of times, Lucy tripped and fell flat on her back, or the one time when Natsu accidentally hit Lucy on the arm - it was nowhere near as hard or painful for him to apologize twenty times, but that never stopped him.

Noticing how distracting the two were with Natsu's lesson, Erza dragged her husband out after a few rounds of sparring with each other, briefly telling the two young adults that they hope to hear about Lucy's progress during dinner. It made Lucy focus more after that, yet it still took another few hours for her to even land a hit on him until now.

Tilting her chin up, she pressed a kiss to his cheek before snuggling back into his neck. "I had a pretty great teacher to show me, anyway. I can't take all the credit," she said simply, closing her eyes. "I still think I'm going to need you to watch my back, though. I don't think I can take on anyone else besides you right now...especially Erza or Juvia."

"Well, they're a higher level than you, but you're working your way up there!" Natsu told her with no hesitation, making Lucy pale a bit at the little imaginative scenario of going against Erza and Juvia in a "friendly" spar match. "We can have Laxus try, since I know for sure that he wouldn't do much to hurt you. He's actually a _big_ softie."

"I think I rather have you as a partner for a while longer, thanks," Lucy rolled her eyes to a close, huffing at his attempt to pair her up with someone who can easily crush her with just his pinky.

"Why, so you can have me all to yourself?" Natsu teased her lightly. "Seriously, Luce. You would get sick of me pretty easily with how rough I get; all sweaty and stuff, it probably grosses you out when I work out too hard."

Lucy's brown eyes snapping open, her cheeks reddening into a shade that rivaled Erza's bloody hair. Trying her best to keep herself calm, Lucy bit her lip and shrugged…

No, it didn't gross her out. On the contrary, Lucy herself would admit that she found Natsu pretty distracting here and there by doing nothing but what he promised to teach her.

Seeing Natsu out of breath was pretty nice, if she was being honest. As well as how his pinkish hair stuck to his forehead and cheekbones whenever he sweated all over his body; his face, neck and chest easily glistened in the light of the gym, and Lucy couldn't help but admit her own fault of being distracted by that kind of content. Not to mention that her boyfriend's body was rather ripped to a point that she wondered if he ever considered being one of those models for those overly-expensive clothing stores.

Feeling his hands grip her shoulders, Lucy peeped when she was lifted up and hovered over him as he basically scanned her face with squinted eyes. She could feel her face burning brighter as she covered her eyes with both hands.

"Wha-what are you looking at," she stuttered in a high pitched voice.

Peeking through her fingers, Lucy felt her heart soar when he smirked, a devilish chuckle rumbling his chest. "The hell are you laughing at, huh?" she demanded.

"You can't hide anything from me, Lucy. I can see it on your face that you're _not_ sick of me, huh?" Natsu raised his brows at her, snickering more when she squealed when he hugged her and rolled so he was on top. "Now that I think of it, you do pay attention to specific things when I was teaching you about the weak spots."

Pinching her red cheek, Natsu grinned bigger. "Like what you see, Luce? Ya know, I normally have to charge people for lookin' too long, but I can negotiate with ya since you're pretty."

"Oh, like you're all innocent," Lucy puffed her cheeks in anger, making him blink. "You heard me, I've seen you checking out my butt here and there, buster. Even Cana pointed it out the other day when I was helping Mirajane when she spilled on the counter and I reached for a towel!"

As Lucy told the story, the more pink in the cheeks he got and Lucy's smile of victory came into view. "See? Not looking so good now, huh?"

Natsu blinked and suddenly relaxed, shrugging his shoulders. "Actually, I think everything is lookin' pretty good as of right now."

"What?"

"I mean, I always feel better working out for a few hours and all that," Natsu casually rolled his head boredly. "Honestly, I could probably do it all day, but seeing where we both are right now; I basically have my hot girlfriend, a bit worn out but still full of her sassiness, and, well…"

Looking pointedly to their position, both Natsu and Lucy stood still for a moment to realize that their position was rather interesting. Natsu cleared his throat, snapping Lucy's attention back to him as he nervously half-grinned. "I ain't complaining 'bout it, but…"

"Oh, _you perv_!" Lucy shrieked into laughter and smacked him on the head, her cheeks probably even more red than before, but who cared? "Who taught you that, huh? Was it Cana?"

"She has told me that I should make things more interesting for us, whatever that means," he confessed to her and scratched his head rather confused. "Sometimes I think girls speak a whole different language that I can't get a dictionary on."

"Oh _god_," Lucy whined as she covered her face. Natsu blinked at her change of behavior. "I can't believe it!"

"You know what she meant by that, Luce?" Natsu asked and the blonde simply shook her head. "Uhm, m'kay. Won't ask based off of your expression, I guess."

"I'll tell you about it...later, okay? When we're not so, you know, like this," Lucy waved her hands in the general direction of their position, her face contorted into a half-amused half-irritated way.

Natsu realized how really close they were and began to fuss. His eyes wide, he began to stutter in worry. "Oh shit, I'm sorry! Sh-should I get off, or _roll_ off? Jesus, what am I doing!"

"No, no, no," Lucy shushed him and tugged on his nose, a easy smile on her face. "You're fine like this, Natsu. I don't mind you being like this with me, okay? Don't worry."

"Oh, oh," Natsu sighed in relief and bowed his head. "I didn't want you to get uncomfortable, Lucy. I'm not forcing myself, or anything, but I can definitely move -!"

Her hand tangling in his hair, Lucy pulled him down to kiss him on the lips with they puckered at his speech. She smiled into the kiss when he made a curious noise, only to hum against her lips and returned it rather enthusiastic.

Natsu carefully deepened the kiss by tilting his head, and Lucy couldn't help but relax when his hand held her cheek and the other on her waist, holding careful yet firm. Her arm went around his back and held onto his damp tank, sighing when some of his weight eventually rest on her lower body. Feeling his warmth radiating off of him as his tongue shyly slipped into her mouth and she returned the favor and raised her hips against his.

His chest pressed against hers, Lucy nearly felt ready to wrap her legs around him when -

"Lucy-chan, Natsu! You two need to - _OH JESUS_!"

Both Natsu and Lucy yanked their heads away from each other, popping their tongue back into their mouths and refraining from screaming as Lisanna crouched down at the entrance of the gym, covering her whole head with her arms.

"L-L-Lisanna..!" Natsu choked as he slowly turned his head, lip and brow twitching in horror to the short haired woman. "Whadda...heya!"

"I didn't see anything! I'm sorry, I didn't think anyone would ever need to knock in the gym, oh my god," Lisanna waved her hands, eyes still closed tight. "Oh jeez, it's like walking in on Elfy-nii with Ever-chan, ew, ew!"

"_Lisanna_!" Natsu cried out. "What d'ya want with us? _Spill it_, woman!"

"Master Makarov wants all S-Class racers in his office for an important meeting - Nee-chan and everyone else is waiting for you, I'm sorry!" Lisanna whimpered, peeking one eye open. "I didn't mean to interrupt you two. I can tell them to wait if…"

"_NO_!" both Natsu and Lucy shook their heads and scrambled up to their feet. Natsu practically jumped over the rope and ran out of the gym, leaving Lucy to try and get through the ropes as Lisanna ran over to help her.

"I'm so sorry, Lucy-chan," Lisanna apologized to her friend, pulling the rope downward so she could slide out and balance properly. "To be real with you, I never thought I would walk into Natsu making out with a girl…"

Lucy's face set fire. "N-no, it's okay. We weren't paying attention at all, you know?"

"Are you sure? 'Cause I probably should have known better since you two are dating, and all that," Lisanna nervously fidgeted when Lucy looked her way as they went to exit the gym. Knowing that Natsu was way far ahead of them, Lucy didn't bother to try and run like he did.

"Lisanna-chan, we're friends right?" Lucy grabbed the platinum blonde's shoulders and forced them to make eye contact, even though they were both embarrassed. When Lisanna nodded without hesitation, Lucy grinned. "Then, you don't need to worry; accidents happen all the time, okay? I'm not mad at you, so please don't think too hard about it."

"Okay…"

"Good, then we're all fine!" Lucy chirped as she took Lisanna's arm and looped it with hers.

Continuing on with their walk to Makarov's office, Lisanna glanced to Lucy. "Hey, Lucy-chan, are you busy after the meeting, with however long it's going to take?"

"I don't think so," Lucy answered casually. "Why, you want some help with dinner preparations with Mira-chan?"

"That, and I also would like to talk to you about something," Lisanna tilt her head down and Lucy blinked.

"About what?" Lucy asked.

Popping her head back up, Lisanna had a devilish smile that was nearly identical to her older sister, and Lucy knew for a fact that she was in for trouble. "I wanna hear about all the juicy stuff you and Natsu have been getting into. Really, I had bets placed that Natsu is a really bad kisser, but seeing how you two were swapping saliva -!"

"_LISANNA_!" Lucy cried out and her friend laughed hard.

.

.

.

Erza glanced around the small office that was more or less cramped beyond capacity. She, Mirajane and Jellal sat on the loveseat cramped together, yet she managed just fine being in the middle; Laxus stood by the couch while Gray, Lucy and Natsu sat on the other couch - Gray and Natsu bickering with each other of taking up too much space then the other, while Lucy rolls her eyes. Gajeel had given up the chair by Makarov's desk for Juvia, who sat more politely with her hands on her lap and ankles crossed. Gajeel leaned his back against the wall beside his little sister, and Erza could feel a swell of joy inside her chest to see that the two were on good terms again.

Makarov opened the door of the office and entered, kicking the door closed gently before going over to his handy desk and propping himself up on the plush chair he was very fond of. Looking around the room, he counted to see everyone he asked for present, including the two step-siblings by his side, smiling to them in greeting. Juvia perked a cute smile while Gajeel remained bored, but the redheaded woman couldn't blame him.

"I got off the phone with Jose not too long ago, and I told him everything that has happened within the last few days," Makarov confessed to the group. "Including everything that Fairy Tail is and all that junk."

"What!" Gajeel smacked skull against the wall, making some of the hanged pictures clatter but not fall.

Makarov raised a hand to silence him politely. "I've known Jose for a long time, even shared a cell back in the day. I'll admit, the dumbass wasn't too happy about it, but I managed to shut him up.

"We discussed about his current location, and everyone is safe at Aria's place, and he wanted me to tell you two that the trip over went smoothly," he added on and Juvia released a breath quietly. "The Phantom Lord bar is officially closed down and Jose wanted me to tell you two that the gang is, as of today, disbanded to keep you and the other kids safe from being hunted under Phantom Lord's name.

"As that being said, Jose wants us to find out why Trinity Raven targeted you," he old man said with sudden seriousness and the two followed with his tone. "If you will allow it, I would like to have you two join Fairy Tail."

Gajeel was quick to react. "What's the benefit for us to join, when we can get our own problems solved?"

"Nii-chan," Juvia scolded in a hiss and smacked his stomach. Gajeel only winced a little bit at the attack, but did his best not to show it, even though the sound of it made it seem like it stung pretty bad.

"I'm so glad you asked that, boy," Makarov chuckled with absolute amusement. "Working for Fairy Tail, you get to start cleaning your criminal record and get into less trouble for whatever you've done."

"Criminal record?" Juvia raised a brow and Makarov nodded.

"That's the main trick of Fairy Tail," Makarov used his pointer fingers and brought them together. "Once you have given yourself to me for whatever it is we're doing, we return the favor by giving money and taking off chunks of whatever the government has you filed under: Even if it's little-by-little, it would come to an end of that you haven't done anything wrong in the first place."

Gajeel and Juvia looked to each other and the blue haired woman seemed to have asked him something in Russian, Erza guessed. Gajeel made a noise and responded with a shrug of his shoulders and verbally. Makarov waited patiently while the rest of the racers glanced to each other when the two seem to have a quick conversation, Juvia poking Gajeel's side and he twitched.

Juvia smiled to Makarov kindly. "Juvia and Nii-chan would be more than happy to discuss further _negotiations_ about joining Fairy Tail," she stated, causing everyone but the two men react with a choked noise and exclamations. "But, we would be happy to work alongside with you for the time being, until then."

"Excellent," Makarov praised happily and patted Juvia's hand carefully. "We can discuss this later on, if you don't mind, but now it's time to get into absolute business."

Erza's face scrunched as she tilt her head. "What are you talking about, Master?" she asked him seriously.

"The HQ isn't doing anything in regards to what we can guess is Acnologia's work within the city," he answered. "We're going to take matters in our own hands, with or without their permission, because I ain't going to risk any of my kids getting killed out there.

"Now that Juvia and Gajeel will be helping us, I want to establish an S-Class job to get in deep of the root of this giant ass mess," Makarov said sternly. "Don't worry about the police or the big shots getting in our way, I want you all to do whatever you need to and get whoever is trying to own these street a piece of our mind. The more we wait, the more people are going to get hurt."

"To do that, you gotta get to Hades," Gajeel told him with a raised studded brow. "How do you think ya gonna do that?"

"It would be through Trinity Raven, wouldn't it?" Mirajane piped in in realization. Tapping a fist to her palm, her blue eyes widened. "Yeah, because it looks like they work for Hades. And, if they work for Hades, then that means they work for Acnologia; we just gotta get them to come to us where they're vulnerable and pounce on them!"

"How would that work?" Gray frowned deeper.

"Because Trinity Raven takes on whatever they want, they won't listen to their boss about what races they can and can't take," Erza said. "Now that I think of it, they've always joined races whenever large payment is involved."

"Then we gotta set a race for them to join and nab them!" Natsu perked brightly.

"Not possible," Makarov shook his head and Natsu deflated. "If I were to go to John and organized a race, he would have to reveal who is wanting to hire. He won't lie for us, and he's nowhere near our ally party."

"Hey, squirt," Gajeel grunted for his little sister's attention, making the woman look up to him. Quirking a brow, Gajeel made a jazz finger motion with his hand before tucking it back and Juvia gasped in realization.

"Juvia can do it!"

"Do what?" Laxus scrunched his face at them. "What are you two thinking."

"Juvia can get someone to make a race for us to get Trinity Raven in and race them purposely win the race for us," Juvia explained with a big grin. "Juvia knows someone on the outside who can help us."

"Oh," Makarov blinked. "Then, we can call them to arrange it for us without spilling the beans, right?"

Juvia bit her lip. "Ahm, it's not _that_ easy, Master Makarov. Juvia will need to go to them first, if she were to even get their attention…"

"Do you know where they would be?" Makarov asked and Juvia nodded confidently. Erza watched as the old man smiled somewhat proudly to her as Gajeel seemed to grow a bit more interested in the situation. "Then we can leave it to Juvia-chan to get the race going for us, while we get all of our cars ready and inside of it all."

"I think I can help out with that," Gajeel snickered and all eyes turned to him. "Ya want cars to get funky for when we race and kick Trinity Raven in the ass? I got the stuff to help with that that can upgrade most of the cars in this garage. Phantom Lord has a storage unit outside of the city where we keep the proper tools and shit, so only we can get into it."

"What's wrong with our cars?" Natsu snapped with an irritated look on his face.

"Your piece of shit _is fine_, Salamander, but everyone else's isn't," Gajeel growled back and the two men somehow found themselves nose-to-nose. "As much as it fuckin' pains me to say that, but not everyone else has the tune up it needs, incase we need to make a getaway if something goes wrong with the plan. Ya wanna get your sorry asses out of there, if it comes to that.

"Besides, might as well move most of our shit here anyway, since you want us in," he finished and ignored how Juvia gasped in delight and hugged him around his waist, snuggling her cheek against his rock-hard side.

"How soon can you get ahold of the people, Juvia-dear?" Makarov asked and Juvia thought it over while still hugging Gajeel.

"If Juvia could, she can get to them tomorrow night around midnight," she thought outloud before nodding. "Yes, Juvia can get to them by midnight tomorrow, if she may borrow a ride…"

"We can arrange that for you, and Gajeel has my car as well for his own project," Makarov told her. "I want all of you, and this includes _everyone, _to report back to me on whatever happens; down to the last detail of what you had to eat, what color eyeshadow you picked out and don't leave anything out. I'll call when I need to to keep on track on you guys, but I better expect an answer.

"Erza, Gray, Natsu and Lucy, I want you guys to keep Juvia with you guys, no matter where you're going. Be her escorts to when she goes and gets the race established and keep her in your sight whenever you guys go out. Understood?" Makarov looked to the three sitting on the couch and his grandson. "Laxus, Jellal and Mira, I would like you three to go with Gajeel to the storage unit and help him with the remainder of the bar and keep him company. Keep a lookout for any clues and keep in contact with Erza as well."

"What about the big bosses?" Lucy asked next.

"If you can excuse my language, my dear, this about the time I say 'fuck the big bosses'," Makarov shrugged with a smile. Lucy popped a hand to her mouth to suppress a giggle as Natsu jumped up from his spot on the couch and began cheering.

"Fuck yeah!"

"Natsu, sit your ass down!" Makarov snapped, prompting Natsu to freeze with his rear in Gray's face. The dark haired racer literally kicked his friend to the rug, only for him to scramble back onto the couch and half-laying on Lucy's lap. The blonde blushed hard and shoved his head a bit further away from her breasts. "When I say that, I mean do it with style, not just go and wreck the city. Capeesh?"

"Yes," Natsu mumbled.

"And that goes for all of you," Makarov scanned the office with a raised brow. "We can't have the FBI gettin' in our case, you understand? I can talk my way through the cops to a certain extent, but please be wary of what you do in general."

"Yes, sir!" everyone chanted.

=xxx=

Erza went over to where the younger adults stood with Juvia by Levy's workshop, going over what she would need tomorrow as Gajeel was chatting with Levy for a brief moment not too far away.

"If you would like to accompany Juvia to see her friends, she will need you to dress up a little bit," Juvia said pointedly. "Dress shirts, nice pants and dresses would be most appropriate, if you possess those items. Please be sure to be clean as well, and don't smell like gas or oil."

"Where are we goin' that we need to dress up?" Natsu grunted with narrowed eyes. "Is it a five-star restaurant, and can we get some grub while we're there?"

Juvia smiled nervously and Erza blinked. "Not exactly, but there is food you can get on Juvia's tab," she suggested to him.

Lucy rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's happy-go-lucky grin. "That won't be necessary, Juvia-chan. Natsu will have the boss running for your money, if had that okay from you."

Juvia tilt her head cutely to Lucy. "But does Lucy-chan have something she can wear? Juvia can ask Nii-chan to go pick up a dress Juvia got as a present; it should fit Lucy-chan, but may need some adjustments."

"No, thank you. I already got something from Mira-san that I can use for the occasion," Lucy shook her head politely. "It doesn't have to be _that fancy,_ does it?"

"Of course not, but they do appreciate it if you look nice." Juvia glanced shyly to Erza and smiled. "Does Erza-san have something?"

Joy bubbled in Erza's chest, and she was certain it showed on her face. "There's a purple dress I bought that I've been _dying_ to try out. You're giving me an opportunity, Juvia, so I owe you."

"So Juvia can ride with Erza-san again?" the blue haired woman perked. "Juvia really loves your car!"

Erza proudly nodded and smirked. "Of course. Anyone who is a fan of my work can certainly have a ride." The redheaded woman didn't miss how Gray's whole body seemed to slouch at Juvia's sudden request, but she couldn't help but find it simply amusing of how the man obviously didn't like it. "Do you think leaving around eleven would be okay with you, Juvia?"

"Oh, yes," Juvia nodded. "It won't take long to get there, and Juvia can put the address in the GPS, if that works better for Erza-san."

"That's all okay with me."

"So, where are we going?" Gray finally piped in and Juvia spun her head to look at him. He looked crabby, but Erza was certain that the young woman would take it the wrong way. "Don't see why we have to dress up for someone, if they're your friends, right?"

Juvia's cheeks tinted a little as she appeared to come to realize something. "O-oh, uhm, Gray-sama doesn't h-have to go, if he doesn't want to," she explained in a soft voice.

"We're escorting ya. Gramp's order," Gray raised a brow. "What if these guys try to take ya, or something?"

"They wouldn't, trust Juvia," she answered rather confidently, and Erza wanted to hear the backstory of her tone. "It won't be much of a hassle for you four anyway, just leave it to Juvia to get the race for you."

"Ahh, I want some action!" Natsu whined and Lucy pulled on his ear to silence him. "Juvia-chaaan, not fair!"

"Juvia will see what she can do for you, Natsu-san," Juvia fondly smiled, seeming to escape Gray's question, even when he tried to speak up. "Please, excuse Juvia. She would like to Cana-chan about something that she can probably use for tomorrow. Oh, and please don't bring any weapons along, we won't be needing them."

"That's even more unfair!" Natsu cried out as Juvia slipped between Lucy and Erza, calling out to Cana, who came from the elevator, looking recently bathed from the locker room. Natsu casually leaned his weight on Lucy, who didn't seem to be bothered by it while Gray watched Juvia leave.

"Would you rather help Gajeel pack the last of the bar, Natsu?" Erza asked the whiney racer with an easy smile, making him freeze in fear. When Natsu shook his head, Erza smiled bigger and as menacing as possible. "Okay, then don't complain about anything. Got it, Natsu?"

"Yes, ma'am," Natsu peeped and Lucy sighed with a smile.

"C'mon, you dork," Lucy slid from under him and hugged his arm. "I gotta help Lisanna-chan with dinner and you need to clean the bathroom, remember? Don't use too much bleach this time, okay?"

"Doesn't look like it's clean unless I use a lot," Natsu grumbled as he allowed Lucy haul him to the elevator, where Cana and Juvia strolled away, chatting animatedly.

Erza glanced to the remaining racer, who noticed and snapped his head away in a instant. "Don't be so grouchy, Gray. At least something is starting to happen around here," she attempted to cheer him up. "How many times have I heard you and Natsu complain about having nothing cool to do except drug-run breaks and catching a thief here and there?"

"Whatever," Gray sniffed. "Still seems like going to the Phantom bar and having Makarov chit-chat with Jose, if ya ask me. Just have to actually look nice this time."

"Well, I didn't. So buck up or I'll fix your face for you, kid," Erza told him honestly and strolled away, leaving the racer to snort yet not retaliate at her.

Going over to where Jellal was conversing with Laxus, a conversation ending just in time for her to approach her husband and hug him from behind, she waved goodbye to the engaged couple as they departed. Jellal carefully ran his hands over Erza's crossed arms around his waist before turning around.

Erza smiled gently as Jellal tucked a lock of her long bangs behind her ear. "We're going to go with Gajeel to the bar and the storage unit around nine in the morning tomorrow, so we have time before it gets dark out."

"I'm not used to having you leave bed that early," she confessed to him with a sigh and he nodded in understanding. "Talk about taking a change of speed, huh. I've never seen Master Makarov behave that way before about anything…"

"He's certainly has come to a few things in mind, that's for sure," Jellal huffed. "He probably didn't want to talk about it infront of the kids, but who knows. Best to just let him handle things until he's ready, I suppose."

"Mm." Erza rest her head against her husband's toned shoulder, her hands holding onto his shirt as he rocked them side-to-side affectionately. "What do you think is going to happen around here, Jellal…"

"I don't see the future, Erza," Jellal chuckled. "But, hopefully, it's going to be good things and put an end to something terrible."

Erza closed her eyes and sighed, making Jellal slow to a stop and tilt her chin up to look at him. "Are you okay, honey?" Jellal asked her softly, an encouraging, trusting smile on his face as he poked the corner of her lip gently. "Tell me."

"Just sad memories," she answered with a light shrug. "Nothing important."

Jellal frowned when she tucked her head back under his chin, holding on to him a bit tighter than before and closing her eyes. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed a kiss to her head softly.

"It's important, Erza. Don't try to act like it's not, because it never was," he told her in a quiet voice. "Are you afraid?"

"I'm not afraid, Jellal," she answered in a much more quieter tone. "I'm _worried_. About everyone: the _kids_, the families...I'm worried about _us_. It doesn't set well inside, Jellal."

"Hey, hey," he whispered, "don't go thinking like that, Erza. You're fine, everyone is fine. Nothing bad is going to happen to any of us, not when Fairy Tail is together. You know that."

Erza nodded and took a deep breath. "Still, I can't help but feel like something big is going to happen. What if one of the kids get hurt, or someone tries to kill them? Gajeel and Juvia already had that coming to them, and from what we saw that night, I do not want that to happen again."

"Then, we won't let it happen."

Pulling her head back to look at him with round eyes, Jellal gave her an honest grin and pecked her forehead with a kiss. "We basically trained these kids everything we know, and we've been through hell and back, haven't we? Fairy Tail isn't weak, and we sure as hell aren't going to let anyone think otherwise," he told her. "If something comes to that one of us needs a helping hand, we got plenty of others to back us up. Have faith in our family, Erza."

A sniffle and a wet smile, Erza gripped his chin and wiggled his jaw affectionately. "I hate it when you sound so serious like that. Ya sound like some kind of character in a movie, before a big storm happens."

"You know what else the character does before a storm? Especially when he has a very, _very_ attractive and loving wife in his arms?" Jellal smirked and waggled his brow, making his wife go beat red in the face. "You know what helps me fall asleep at night, babe. Mind helping me out so I can get up in the morning?"

"Oh my god," Erza began laughing and hide her face in Jellal's neck when he chuckled. "You're so lucky I love you, you know that?"

"Why ya married me, right?"

"Sure, keep telling yourself that, bigshot," Erza grinned before going to her toes to press a kiss to his lips, making sure to add pressure before letting go. Taking his hand, Erza led him out of their spot.

Passing by Gajeel and Levy, who noticed the married couple coming, Erza winked to them. "Gajeel, make sure my husband doesn't cause too much trouble for you while he's in your care, okay? If he does, let me know and I'll take care of it."

Watching as Jellal was willingly dragged to the elevator, Gajeel's eyes narrowed as Levy giggled. "The hell was that about?"

"Don't think too much, Gajeel," Levy laughed and hugged her boyfriend's strong arm and rubbed her temple against him. "It'll keep you up all night, then you'll be grouchy tomorrow."

He snorted. "I can get away without sleep once in a while," he stated with a smug pride look in his eyes.

"Not here you're not," Levy warned him. "Remember, you're under my roof now, mister, and no way is anyone missing out on catching Z's on my watch."

"Someone's bossy tonight," Gajeel pointed out with amusement and Levy lifted her chin.

"Well, someone has to be when I'm your girlfriend. Like it or not, you're stuck with me."

Lifting the arm she glued herself to, Gajeel snickered at her shy peep and brought her leveled with his face. "Wouldn't want it much different, I'll give ya that, shrimp," he chuckled before popping a soundly kiss to her mouth, making her squeal.

"G-Gajeel-kun, _put me down_!"

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=xxx=

AUTHOR'S ENDING NOTE - So I'mma do something that's kinda fun for next chapter? Hope you'll stay tuned and leave a Review. I love hearing from all my babehz!

Stay sexy, my friends.


	20. Chapter 20

-snorkling laughter while I go back to playing my Pokemon games-

I regret nothing I write anymore, it's pretty sad.

Please Review, Follow and Favorite when you have the time!

=xxx=

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R_i_**d**e '_**e**_m _H_**a**r_**d**_

Chapter Twenty

"Lu-chan, you look so cute!" Levy squealed as the blonde twirled in her dress.

A deep wine-red with a single slit up her thigh, the length of the skirt coming to mid-thigh and tied to the back of her neck. Wearing her hair down in loose curls, Lucy slipped in a fake-diamond pin to give it some personality; her makeup was neutral, yet showed off a classy edge of her style.

"Aww, Mira definitely had the right dress for you hiding somewhere in her collection," Levy cooed as she took Lucy's hands and scanned her over, making the woman blush.

"Thanks, Levy-chan. I haven't dressed up like this in a while, I was sure I'd look a little funny," Lucy confessed shyly until a wolf whistle made her freeze and go beat red.

"_Ow ow, oww_!" Cana called out before purring loudly, slithering to the blonde woman and outlining her curves. "Look at this sexy beast right here! Momma likes what she sees, damn baby!"

"CANA!" Lucy shrieked and clung to the petite mechanic for dear life, seeing the ex-Phantom Lord woman enter. Her hair was all up in a ballet-styled bun and she wore Cana's light sweater jacket that was a bit too bulky on her and too long, going down to her knees and sporting flat shoes, compared to Lucy's high-heeled black straps. Juvia's makeup was different, though, as Lucy remembered her smokey eye makeup from the races that really brought out her eyes and fair skin. They were done up more sharper and with an added shimmer with the dark and blue pallet, making her more stunning and blurred out her attire.

"You do look wonderful, Lucy-chan," Juvia told her friend with a soft smile and the woman slowly relaxed. "Just perfect to where we need to go."

"Gotta say, I could have definitely seen you doing your mom's clothing lines as a model," Cana sighed in bliss as her imagination soared. "Layla Heartfilia had the clothes of any woman's dream! God, what I would do to see cute girls on the runway and wearing my favorite clothing brand."

"Easy, Cana, you're starting to scare Lu-chan to death," Levy teased with a snicker and Lucy shuddered. Looking to her cousin, Levy tilted her head at her attire. "Ju-chan, aren't you going to dress up at all?"

"She doesn't need to," a familiar voice caught their attention, and everyone looked to see Gajeel, Jellal and Erza approach the bar. Erza, as she claimed, worked her purple dress and had her long hair in a loose bun; her bangs still framing her face perfectly with her cat eyeliner, Erza cutely held onto Jellal's arm as he posed as a proper gentleman in his work clothes to escort his wife.

Gajeel looked tired, same goes for Jellal, but that didn't stop him from catching his sister with one arm, actually capable of propping her up with one arm to carry her like she was a little kid. Juvia wrapped her arms around Gajeel's neck and began chatting away, all while Levy abandoned Lucy to hold onto Gajeel's other arm, resting her head against his scarred arm.

Gajeel nodded to whatever what Juvia was saying, answering her short and to the point until she ran out of breath. Looking to the dressed up ladies, the man sighed and bonked his head to Juvia's cheek lightly to silence her.

"Before I forget by the time you guys leave with my sister to get the race," Gajeel spoke in a tired voice, catching both Lucy and Erza's attention. "Make sure you keep Stripper in his place while you're over there, got it?"

Lucy blinked in confusion. "Why would we need to do that?" she asked softly, not wanting to irritate him.

It didn't, but that was probably because he was too tired to really react. "Because what happened at the scrimmage, I don't want that moron fuckin' any chances we have to get the race. Not that it would be a big deal, but it will save Juvia the trouble if he sat his ass down long enough for her to get the job done."

"Nii-chan doesn't need to worry," Juvia chirped sweetly and poked her brother's studded brow. "Remember, they are Juvia's friends and will never say no to her."

"And I still question your taste in friends," Gajeel grumbled before setting Juvia down on her feet, just in time for the elevator door to open, letting out Natsu and Gray with Laxus holding them in strong grips by the collar of their shirts.

Mirajane slipped around them, smiling sweetly as she usually does, waving to the crowd. "Sorry we took so long, but the boys were having some trouble getting along," she excused them as her fiance dragged the two over and dropped them. "They were arguing again."

"About _what_?" Erza raised a brow as she stared the two down, making them feel chills in their spines. Even the other women and Gajeel froze while Jellal simply smiled at his wife's tone.

"Gray wanted to wear the black dress shirt, but Natsu wanted the shoes Gray had found in Jellal's closet," Mirajane exposed as the two of them panicked more. She shrugged. "Not a big deal, really. I had Laxus-kun hold them down while I dressed them like three year olds."

"Mira!" Gray seethed in fear when Erza's whole aura darkened beside Jellal, gripping his arm tighter.

Natsu was dressed in the black shirt while Gray was dressed in the white. Both wore nice dress pants and proper shoes, despite their hair still their usual mess, they looked fairly cleaned up than usual. Lucy herself was impressed how they traded up the worn out work boots and torn shirts for _near_ suit and tie.

"If you two cause any trouble for your behavior while I finally have a chance to wear this dress, I'm going to -!"

"They look wonderful, don't you think, Erza-san?" Juvia clapped loudly, completely distracting the redhead from her murderous intent and ease the grip on Jellal's arm. The man let out a quiet exhale, yet all appearing relaxed as usual. "Isn't it about time we head out, too? Juvia can't be late, Erza-san. Can you hold your anger for later, please?"

Erza narrowed her eyes at the ex-Phantom Lord woman, who smiled cutely. "And, may Juvia remind Erza-san how incredibly beautiful she looks in her dress?"

The woman caved in, and Natsu and Gray silently cried tears of joy. "Of course, you said you have the address to where we need to go? Let's go, Juvia. I want everyone to see my dress…"

Slipping her arms off of Jellal, Erza propped her own elbow out to Juvia, who took it with a smile and allowed the redhead to escort her towards her stripped Toyota Supra. The ride didn't have any armor or extra accessories, leaving it red and sparkly and clean for whatever tonight brought. Hell, if Juvia says they needed to look nice, so would her ride!

Gray pouted as he watched Erza show Juvia to the door, and Lucy noticed it right away. "You know, you could always ride with them, if you want," she offered.

"I ain't having flamebrain drive my car," Gray grouched darkly as he started making his way over. Natsu swung an arm around Lucy casually and proceeded to guide her to follow their friend.

Juvia asked them to pick out cars that weren't too flashy, something simple with no heavy paint jobs or accessories that would make them stand out too much. She didn't give any specifics as to why, but Erza instantly picked out her own car and stated that, out of the two others who would have cars to pick from, Gray's usual ride would fit the bill. Considering the car coloring with the matte ice paint, it looked like any regular car.

"Like I would want to drive that tacky hunk of junk," Natsu sniffed. "Not my style at all, man. Too girly!"

"Then, you can sit in the back seat while Lucy takes passenger," Gray retorted with a big, shitty grin, unlocking his car and opening the passenger door for the blonde, who blinked when the grip on her shoulder tightened.

"WHAT!"

"Ya heard me, fire-fart," Gray nagged. "Lucy, help yourself inside please." The dark haired man carefully pulled Lucy in and helped her into the seat, while she remained confused when he closed the door before Natsu could reach for her.

Was he sobbing?

"Hey!" Lucy turned to see Erza snapping at both of the boys from her car. Juvia peeked out from the passenger window, watching the two freeze at Erza's thunderous yelling. "Get your asses in the car right now, or I'll come over there and do it for you! I did not get dressed up to have you two idiots bicker about seats!"

"Yes, ma'am!" they both chanted. Natsu dove for the back seat while Gray slid over the hood of his own car to get behind the wheel.

Gajeel watched with his girlfriend and acquaintances as the two started to make their way out of the garage, his rusty-colored eyes narrowing. "Have those two always been like this, even outside of races?" he asked Jellal with an unamused tone.

Mirajane chuckled when Jellal all but nodded. "They're best friends, but they tend to act like neighboring puppies."

"That's _one way_ of putting it," Laxus grumbled.

"I ain't tryin' to doubt them or anything, since they're taking care of the squirt," Gajeel frowned a bit deeper. "But, they certainly don't act like real street-cred thugs they've put themselves out to be, unlike you guys."

"Do you think they'll get in trouble tonight, Gajeel?" Levy raised a brow and he shook his head.

He shrugged and rubbed his head. "Is that a bad thought?"

"No," Mirajane, Laxus and Jellal answered, making Levy blink at their immediate response. She leaned forward to give her friends a look and only Mirajane returned it with a smile.

=xxx=

Lucy learned pretty quickly that car sickness was a thing, and Natsu portrayed it pretty well for a grown adult. She never really had issues with riding in the back seat of cars, even when she was living with her father and had to be driven by other people to get to places, so she assumed that those who complained about feeling nauseas in the back were just trying to get the seat in front…

Well, she took it back.

Petting the top of the head resting on the middle armrest of the car, Lucy chuckled nervously at seeing Natsu's cheeks blown up like a pufferfish. He whimpered when she massaged his scalp and the car came to a stop behind Erza's ride at a red light.

"So, Natsu gets car sickness when he's in the backseat?" Lucy asked eventually while Gray couldn't find any good music on the radio. He didn't seem in the mood to talk to the other car, but he took occasional glances to see the silhouettes of Erza and Juvia from the lights of the city from the back window.

"Moron can only focus on one thing at a time," Gray grumbled as he flipped through the stations again. "If he ain't driving or in the front, he loses it. It's pathetic."

"Fer yerh!" Natsu growled and raised his chin to glare at him, only to flinch when the car started again. Wrapping an arm around Lucy's thin waist, he shoved his face into the side of Lucy's breast and whined when Gray purposely tapped the brake to make the car jerk.

Lucy sighed and threaded her fingers through Natsu's hair. "And you knew this, Gray?"

"He called my car tacky," he answered with snicker and Natsu groaned. Gray tapped the brake again and Natsu dramatically flew himself back and rolled on the seat behind them. Lucy rolled her eyes and smacked the chuckling man with dark hair, who flinched at her attack. "Hey, what was that for?"

"For being immature while we're suppose to be doing something serious," Lucy responded in a imitating voice of Gray's coy tone. "Stop being a brat and pay attention to the road."

The ride took them to streets Lucy hasn't really seen before at this time of night. It actually looked like people were out for parties, dressed up and taking limos and fancy cars to all-night restaurants, dancing clubs and galleries that were apparently the highlight of people's day. Some people were obviously tipsy from too much to drink, but still maintained their class as they chatted on the sidewalks, dined at outdoor tables and waiting in lines to enter lit-up buildings.

Lucy can recall these types of places from her past, when her mother had a fashion show or her parents wanted to take their daughter out to a lovely dinner and explore the cities at Christmas time. Part of it made her feel happy to have that memory with her while driving with Natsu and Gray, going on yet another adventure that she would have never thought she would go on, if you were to ask her six months ago. Really, the more she thought of it, she probably would have laughed.

Even if you'd ask her about the pink haired man crying her name and hiding his face unabashedly into the side of her arm, smushing his cheek against her, she probably would have never given it a second thought.

Erza's car pulled into a parking lot across from a hotel - an obvious establishment that people with a lot of money needed to spend a few nights - with valet and groups of rich people mingling outside. The lot was obvious property to a different building, however, as Lucy looked up to the giant neon lights of cursive and some sort of stylized horse next to it.

"What kind of place is _Christina?" _Lucy asked as she observed the building. It didn't look anything special, much less the cars parked in the lot was minimal; the theme seemed to be blue and white lights against the dark bricks, yet it was very clean and well kept.

Gray made a face as he parked not too far away from Erza's car near the entrance of the building, a lit up canopy. "Yo, Natsu, what's the name of the place that strut-guy works at?"

Natsu made a noise as he slide down to Lucy's armrest, startling the blonde when his dressed foot tapped against the backseat window. He sobbed as Gray scolded him and Lucy reached behind her seat to unlock the door for her boyfriend. Natsu practically jumped out of the car while Gray and Lucy shut everything off in the car before getting out, stretching his back and inhaling as large as he could for fresh air.

"I don't wanna ride in the back anymore!" Natsu cried out with his hands in the air.

Lucy chuckled as she got out of the car, going to Natsu's side and checking him over. The shirt he tucked in was half out and she shook her head. "You never said anything about not liking riding in the back of cars, Natsu," she pointed out to him as she helped herself to tug the rest of the black shirt from his pants, briefly noticing the lining of his underwear and the peeks of his abs.

"Honestly, I'm the one who _normally drives_," Natsu confessed as he dropped his hands on her shoulders, resting his forehead against the curve of her neck and sighing. "My stomach feels like it's filled with poprocks and gooey gunk."

"We can get you something to drink inside, I'm sure. Ginger ale should help," she giggled and ruffled his messy hair more. "You're not gonna be sick, are you?"

"If he is, Jellal is going to _kill_ him if he ruins his shirt," Gray warned him as he closed his door with his foot, locking the car until it beeped. "Unless Erza gets to you first. I think she bought that one for Jellal, or something."

"I ain't gonna get sick," Natsu declared as he stood up straight.

"Good, otherwise I _would_ kill you," Erza said casually, startling all three of them by her voice. Looking over to the entrance, Erza stood with Juvia, who was still dressed in the sweatshirt, waiting for them impatiently under the canopy. "Hurry up, now!"

Juvia smiled as she saw Natsu take Lucy's hand and the three made their way over to them. Leaving Erza's side to prop the door open, Juvia waited until Erza followed and vice versa. "Juvia will be sure that you will have good seats for proper service, she promises," the blue haired woman said as she hurried inside with an excited grin.

Erza politely waited for the three to arrive and looked to them. "Remember, we need to be on our best behavior, if we're going to be able to have Juvia succeed in getting us the race for Makarov," she reminded them.

"Yes, Erza," Lucy nodded in understanding. Natsu mumbled his usual 'yeah, yeah' and Gray just grunted, yet it was a good enough answer for the redhead as she smiled.

"Good, now let's get inside." Erza helped herself inside the building, feeling confident as she approached the pedestal where Juvia was talking to the host of -

"_Erzaaa!_"

The woman instantly paled as she recognized the short man with light red hair. His stout body posing into a greeting stance, the flash of his white tux contrasting with his legit orange skin that made her stomach drop; his very distinct facial features sent a chill down Erza's spine as his stare zeroed in on her.

"N-n...it can't b-be," Erza stuttered with a horrified expression as Juvia turned around to see her friend's reaction. Lucy came up to Erza's right side with Natsu and Gray popped out from the other, looking down to the short man and snapping his fingers.

"Ah, so I was right. You do work here," Gray concluded.

Lucy blinked and glanced to her boyfriend. "Who is this?" she whispered as quietly as she could.

The way the short man _danced _his way towards the four and got down on one knee infront of Lucy, taking her free hand. "Mind my manners, darling, but I was distracted by Erza's surprising entrance," he answered and pressed a light kiss to Lucy's knuckles and the blonde jumped with nerves. "My name is Ichiya Vandalay Kotobuki, my dear. I don't believe we have met before, but it is my deepest pleasure to meet another beauty and companion of Erza!"

"Ahm...pleasure is all mine?" Lucy tried tugging her hand from his grasp, yet he didn't release so easily.

"Yo, Ichiya," Natsu drawled with a half grin and held up a fist towards Ichiya. "Lay off will ya? That's my girl you're trying to flirt with right here."

"Ah, Natsu! How the time has gone since we've actually been face-to-face!" Ichiya dramatically flipped his head back and released Lucy's hand instantly, fist bumping with Natsu. Getting back to his feet, the man dusted himself off and winked. "Please excuse me, I wasn't aware that the kind lady was taken. Good eye, my dear man."

Natsu returned the wink with a finger gun. "Sorry 'bout the last race, too, Ichiya. Didn't see ya comin' out of your car afterwards."

"'Twas a good deal of stress losing to a friend, but it won't falter our friendship," Ichiya nodded. "I would like to have a rematch one of these days, perhaps a scrimmage when no one pulls guns on each other this time?"

Before Natsu could answer, Ichiya instantly turned his attention back to the freaked woman in the purple dress. Carefully taking Erza's arm, Ichiya snuggled his sculpted cheek against her skin. "However, to be reunited with the most beautiful woman, I can't deny that it's not all that bad."

"_I'm married_," Erza snarled in a deep voice.

"And it breaks my heart every time you tell me so, Erza," Ichiya dramatically exclaimed with a sniffle. "Yet, your parfum can always soothe those painful scars that sunlight doesn't dare to touch my aching heart."

"I'm so **happily** married," Erza seethed, yet it went unnoticed by the orange haired man as he twirled up and posed when Juvia cleared her throat audibly.

"Of course, I will have to ask why you all are accompanying dear Juvia tonight," Ichiya strutted poses with his hands to his face, mumbling "men, men, men" with each pose. Juvia easily smiled and stepped to the side between them, mostly to guard Erza, incase Ichiya were to launch himself again to pamper her.

"They are Juvia's escorts tonight, Ichiya-san," she explained, looping her arm protectively around Erza, who took a step closer when the man held his chin and nodded firmly. "If that's okay with Bob-sensei, since they are not part of Phantom Lord. You could they that they owe Juvia a favor, and Nii-chan is very busy tonight. And, since you seem to be friends with them, Ichiya-san, you'll do Juvia this little favor and let them with her?"

Ichiya looked them all over, as if judging their appearance before shrugging. "I suppose I can't say no to these particular people and you, considering it's been months since the last time you've been here, Juvia…"

"And Juvia will make it up to _Christina_. You know she will," Juvia winked and Ichiya chuckled confidently.

"Then I'll allow it. But they can't come with you to the back," Ichiya stated strongly. Looking to the group, the man pointed finger guns to them and tilt his head. "Keep at the bar in the back will you? You'll have a good view of the whole establishment, but I doubt Master Bob will want you wandering around and getting in people's way. We only have VIPs in here tonight."

"VIPs?" Gray raised a brow and Ichiya posed with legit glitter around him.

"Our most valued customers have the whole place to them one night a week, and so they choose tonight to be it," the man explained. "We take their presence like they're royalty and I would hate to have that ruined by letting in outsiders on their private night shows; Gajeel-kun never made a fuss, but he was never really a people-person."

"Thank you, Ichiya-san!" Juvia smiled as Ichiya nodded and held her hand, placing a delicate, quick kiss on her knuckles. "Juvia will make sure to make it up to Blue Pegasus in all tonight." She followed Ichiya as he guided her by the hand like a true gentleman and let her slip through the thick, heavy curtain that seemed to shield low lights and echoing music.

Ichiya went back to his pedestal and ushered a hand through the velvet curtain behind him to the rest of the party. "Enjoy your time here in _Christina_, everyone. Have Master Bob take care of you at the bar, it would be his pleasure."

Natsu swung his arm casually around Lucy, who kindly thanked Ichiya as Erza quickly helped herself through the curtain to get as far away from the host, ignoring Gray trying to catch her attention and followed after them. Lucy let Natsu guide her past the Blue Pegasus man and hold the curtain open for her…

Low powered lights and some flashing lasers, a specific type of music that easily sent shivers up her spine, men seated at numerous spots around a catwalk decorate with chairs and poles. A band in the corner, hidden in the shadows, while the spotlight went straight to women on the stage, dressed in skin-tight costumes of a cat, a nurse and other different types of costumes. Large breasts or rounded rears grinding against poles and hovers against chairs, strippers beckoned to men at the tables and booths with seductive winks and smiles as they moved along with the music being played.

There were men dressed in waiter uniforms, carrying trays of champagne and plates of food around the quiet bunch as the women kept working flawlessly. A bar not too far from the curtain stood, colorful with the bottles and all types of size and shapes of glass, a heavyset man wearing a girlish top with fake wings attached to the back, and Juvia was chatting with him with a big smile, while he seemed more than happy to see Juvia.

Coming up to Gray, Lucy couldn't resist to clear her throat and grip Natsu's hand hanging on her shoulder tightly. "Uhm, so this...is a strip club, huh?"

"Apparently," Gray grunted out, unimpressed. "Doesn't make it any better that we had to go to Blue Pegasus for help."

"The farther away from Ichiya, the better," Erza snapped as she grabbed both Natsu and Gray's sleeves, pulling them along when the bartender and Juvia noticed them. The man waved them over, a happy grin on his face.

Getting closer to the bar, Lucy noticed that the man wore bright red lipstick and pink blush on his cheeks. He was sweaty from the lights and the slight heat within the club, yet there wasn't any close proximity of bodies and aroused patrons…

Rather, when Lucy looked around the club over Natsu's arm, the guests seemed to be very calm and relaxed!

"Hello, darlings," the bartender cooed in a rather feminine tone, wiggling his fingers to the approaching four before taking Juvia's hand. Lucy noticed that the man had a blue colored tattoo of a symbol on his right arm. "Juvia-chan was just telling me that she would be having new escorts this time, unlike Gajeel-kun…

"And, I must say, Juvia-chan picked out cuter boys to bring over!" the man smiled and winked to Natsu and Gray, who both flinched like Erza did upon seeing Ichiya. "Juvia-chan, you have such good taste in men! Not that your brother doesn't have _something_ nice of him, but he isn't much of my type…"

"Guys, this is Blue Pegasus' leader, Bob-sensei," Juvia introduced politely. "Bob-sensei, these are the S-Class racers from Fairy Tail. I'm sure Master Makarov has told you about them, right? Erza-san, Natsu-san or Gray-sama?"

"Oh, of course!" Bob giggled and wiggled his hips. He reached over the counter and grasped Erza's hand, shaking it. "And _Miss Titania_, I simply love your dress of the evening. It goes perfectly for tonight's weather and my horoscope! Seeing red and purple together means that I will have a good income tonight!"

Erza blinked but carefully accepted the compliment. "Thank you, Master Bob. It's nice to finally meet another friend of our own master and a friend of Fairy Tail. We deeply appreciate you helping us with our race proposal."

"Race proposal..?" Bob tilt his head and Juvia cleared her throat.

"No, Bob-sensei is not helping with our goal," Juvia explained when Bob appeared to be confused more than before, prompting her to pat his shoulder. "Bob-sensei is one of Juvia's friends who can help her get to the one she needs to see."

"Oh, I see now. It's one of your _special jobs_ you're doing," Bob grinned and fiddled with the ringed necklace he wore. "I was wondering when you were going to be coming back to me, Juvia-chan. I certainly have been needing more help around here."

"Bob, you make it sound like we don't do anything for you!" a woman whined and the group jumped at the appearance of a blonde woman in a rather normal waitress outfit tackled Juvia from behind. The blue haired woman didn't seem to mind it, especially when she snuggled her damp cheek against Juvia's temple. "How could you be so mean to us, huh?"

Glancing over, the blonde waitress instantly noticed Erza and smirked naughtily. "Erza Fernandez, eh? Is Mira-chan with you?"

"Hello, Jenny," Erza nodded in greeting to her, returning the look as well. "No, I'm afraid Mira had other things to take care of. You should just come to the races more, if you miss her so much."

Jenny stuck out her tongue. "I never have the right outfit, and I wouldn't want to get dirty." Seeing the younger woman squishing herself between Natsu and Gray, the woman's face brightened with stars. "Well, hello there, cutie. Haven't seen you before, have I?"

"Jenny-san, this is Lucy-chan. She is Natsu-san's _girlfriend_ and his racing partner," Juvia introduced and Lucy's face went to a deeper shade of red when her friend mentioned her relationship status with more tone.

"Oh, okay!" Jenny smiled. "Then, we'll make sure that none of our guests try to come up to you, alright? You're safe around here, and you're dressed the part."

"Uhm…" Lucy tried to find a way to respond, but Jenny looped her arms under Juvia's and grasped her breasts.

"Ju-vi-a-chan! C'mon, we don't have much time before the girl's next performance ends," the blonde whined to the blue haired woman. "He's at the table and waiting to be served, so hurry up to your uniform and get ready."

"Yes, Juvia knows," the racer rolled her eyes and looked to the Fairy Tail members. "Juvia will take care of everything else, so please relax with Bob-sensei and Jenny will also serve you something to eat."

"You don't want us to go with you?" Gray raised a brow.

"No boys in the ladies room!" Bob snapped suddenly and Gray cowered to the other side of Natsu.

"Don't worry, Juvia has done this before and we always help take care of her, if she ever needs any extra help from us," Jenny posed cutely. Jenny ushered Juvia to go down further to the bar, where a Staff Only door stood at the other end, tapping her butt along the way.

Once Juvia went through the door, Jenny and Bob looked to the four. "While you wait, please take a seat right here. There's a fan and it's closest to the kitchen and Bob," Jenny instructed as she completely changed her behavior to a more professional waitress. "And, please feel free to enjoy watching our ladies perform here at _Christina_!"

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.

"And that's how Makarov made my third thirtieth birthday party so memorable," Bob swooned as he placed a fruity martini in front of Erza and two bottles of beers for the young men. Lucy was still working on her first drink as she was still trying to take in the new surroundings. Having never been to a strip club before, she was a tad bit uncomfortable seeing strippers approach some corners and attend their guests, but she was thankful that Jenny would instantly steer any of the girls away if they came too close to their table.

It seemed that everyone knew the difference between who worked here, and who didn't; none of the men who were walking half-drunk and rolls of dollars in their hands tried to come and pester them. Possibly by the work of their appearance, Lucy did notice a good portion of the men and women who came to have a good time were dressed similar to them - nice shirts, dresses and hair all done nicely. The staff (minus Bob, who manages behind the bar at all times making drinks without fault) wore obvious waiters and waitress uniforms, and the band wore stylized suits similar to Ichiya's. The strippers...well, they dressed their part.

"I always knew Master Makarov had that inflatable duck for a reason," Erza chuckled. "I only wish I had pictures to see."

"Oh, I'll find them next time and organize a get-together," Bob waved his hand, noticing Jenny coming back with a tray of appetizers for them. "It's been a while since the last time I've been Makarov anyway, I should really fix up my bike… Oh, I miss the races."

"So, who exactly is Juvia suppose to get ahold of, if it's not you?" Natsu asked casually, rolling his head back to look at Bob, who blushed at the gesture and held his cheek.

"Well, if you must know," Bob wiggled his hips again and Jenny cleared her way to serve the plates. "If you promise not to tell Makarov - I would hate to see that man get jealous of me having more attention from such _a stud_! Being that I prefer to have some neutral ground outside of the streets, I always seem to have the big boys coming in and helping themselves to all the drinks I make with love!"

Kneeling down to their level between Lucy and Natsu, Bob pointed with his finger to the near front of the other side of the club, where the extend of the catwalk had a large round table a bit beneath its level. There, a man had his back turned to the group and had a couple guards on each side of him standing. "That man right there is Bora," Bob whispered with a cheeky grin.

"Wait, wait, _wait_," Gray stopped himself from taking a swig of his beer. "Bora...one of the biggest drug lords in the west? The son of the gang leader of _Titan Nose_?"

"That's him, alright!" Bob giggled. "He travels a lot outside of working for his uncle. He's been keeping low on the public right now, since one of his uncle's shipments got caught somewhere at the east coast earlier this year."

Lucy remembered hearing about Titan Nose on the news, back when she lived at home. Bora's uncle is a big criminal wanted for a massive bounty, and he was no less cheaper than his old man uncle; drug rings and a legit underground base stretching from across the ocean, the family was big news. Now that she thought about it, Lucy had vague memories of Gildarts and Macao chatting about hitting a drug shipment under that gang's name.

"Juvia is going to be getting money from _him_?" Gray seethed as Natsu hummed in interest.

"Not a bad move, if ya ask me," Natsu shrugged beside Lucy and Bob chuckled. "Bora's big on bucks."

"She can't approach him, no one has ever been able to approach anyone from the Titan's Nose's family in years," Gray explained as they watched a passing waitress carry a round of assorted drinks. Bora, unmoving from his seated position, snapped his fingers and one of his guards picked a drink off the tray and served it to him. The waitress made a move to great a bigger space. "Hell, not even any of the girls have gone up to one of his guards to give him a dance, how will Juvia do it?"

"I figured it would be a simple waitress-slip-a-note, or something like in the movies," Lucy admitted and Jenny giggled.

"You have a good imagination of the possibilities," Jenny complimented. "But, you're also right. It's hard to get within a ten-foot radius of that man, but he's one of Bob's best customers."

The music let up and the lights died down on the stage, the dancers and strippers on the ground excused themselves properly with a deep bow and accepting the applause from the crowds before leaving. The drumset man tapped the mic from the bandstand and cleared his throat.

"Gentlemen and beautiful ladies, the band will be taking a little break," the man said in a soothing voice. "We will be right back shortly, but please enjoy our special performance from our best ladies in the house tonight."

Another member of the band stepped to the catwalk and placed a sturdy-looking chair at the start of the line, a few feet away from the single pole of the catwalk. The staff used the darkness to slip away and empty the stages, and the audible noise of the stereo and loudspeakers prepping for the track.

"I suppose we will need to put our trust in Juvia, isn't that correct?" Erza glanced to the two standing forms, who smiled knowingly to each other. "Where is Juvia anyway?"

"Just give her a minute, darlings," Bob winked and pointed to the stage as three shadows obviously defining women in tall heels strolled in unit to the base of the stage.

Blinking in confusion, the three young adults looked to the stage as one of the band members clicked the machine, and a thumping sensation radiated off the ground and tickled the skin began occurring. Lucy found herself curious of the way the two outer dancers seem to slowly begin their routine as the spotlights over them began to glow, showing their identities.

Both women were dressed in a white costume, very little material and left nearly nothing to the imagination as they attempted to resemble themselves as angels, Lucy guessed. White stockings and white corsets glowed from the light as the ladies made their way to the poles closest to them on the sides of the stage, seductively twirling and stretching their legs high in the air as they spun.

Once the music began bursting into the tempo, the two women worked alongside the music, flipping and kicking with power. The middle shadow slowly began to raise her hands from her sides, until the big bang of the tune hit them with a sudden explosion of light, nearly blinding everyone as the image cleared…

And stood Juvia, her body language and expression confident and dominating, posed like an entering queen of hell. Dressed in a tight, black leather corset top that exposed her cleavage, belly and curves all too well, she sported a matching set of leathered booty shorts and fishnet stockings; her blue hair removed from the cute, innocent ballet bun and replaced with sexy waves and curls that fell over her shoulders, all tall and proud.

It was when her hips thrusted to the beat with a stunning smile that Lucy thought Gray was going to choke.

Of course, Erza's death grip on his shoulder had kept him in his spot, but it didn't stop him from squirming. Lucy noticed he looked to be biting back screaming, his eyes wide and brows twitching, he looked ready to explode.

Looking back to the stage, Lucy instantly became entranced by how Juvia began to move her hips and let her hands run over her own body. Cheers instantly began to rise out of the crowd when she twisted her hip to one side, and money began flying towards her, as the same happened when she moved to the other side.

Gray was about to yell when Erza slapped a hand over his mouth and held him there, even going as far to have a choker hold on him.

"We're actually really happy that Juvia-chan came over tonight," Jenny smiled in relief and hugged the empty tray to her chest. "Since I pulled a muscle in my leg, I'm not able to perform with Riko and Karen for the next few days while I heal."

Juvia spun in her heels before making a quick dash towards the chair, the men chanting cheers as she mounted the chair and leapt off towards the pole. Catching herself in time, Juvia spun her whole body around before wrapping her legs around it, letting go and performing a backbend as she kept rotating to a halt; her arms stretching out before pulling in to ruffle her hair. Opening her eyes, a wicked smile grew on her face as she pointed to a specific table down the catwalk upside down.

Pointing directly to Bora.

"It is nice to have Juvia-chan, especially when Bora is here," Bob also said with a delighted sigh. "Her performance with him here makes me so happy. I taught her well!"

"_YOU_?" Everyone at the table stared in complete shock and horror to the gang leader, who nodded with stars emitting from him. Jenny waved a hand to try and settle them down under the blaring music.

"Master Bob taught all of the girls here how to properly pole dance, and other dances as well," Jenny winked. "He's been in this business for so long, yet he can still kick it like a college girl."

"Oh, you're too much, Jenny darling!" Bob cooed and hugged the woman. "You make me blush!"

Everyone watched as Juvia flipped off the pole backwards, doing a couple backflips to the beat of the music into the splits before getting back on her feet gracefully. Money was flying through the air as Karen and Riko performed their routine and Juvia danced her way to the table, walking on top of the tabletop and expertly missing Bob's dishware and glasses.

"It looks like she's done this before," Natsu pointed out casually and Gray fumed with pure rage. Lucy glanced his way with a frown as how normal he sounded, as if nothing was wrong about the statement and he looked bored…

One of Juvia's heeled foot pressed against the top ledge of Bora's chair, none of the guards came to stop her or behaved with alertness as she tipped it back. With Bora's back still turned to them, he appeared to be calm with balancing himself before Juvia stomped on the edge of his seat and straddled him on her knee.

It was noticeable of how Bora's hands slowly raised up to touch her hips, and Gray wanted to tackle the man until Juvia grabbed his wrists and pushed them away. She shook her head playfully at Bora and continued on with the lap dance, as he obeyed to keep his hands at his sides. After a few flips of her hair and shaking her chest, she ran her hands up and down Bora's torso and whispered something into his ear. Dancing her way back onto her feet, Juvia landed perfectly back onto the table and to the catwalk as the other two women seem to follow her lead.

Reaching to the bottom hems of her leather shorts, Juvia waited until the other two reached for their own to rip hers off. She wore a black lace underwear while the other two wore white, and then the two began to seductively unzip their corsets for the crowd as Juvia threw the remains of her leather shorts to the crowd and the men practically screamed in joy as they fought over it.

The song was about to end as Juvia returned to the two ladies, who instantly grabbed onto her body and pressed themselves against her as she threw her hands up in the air. The girls explored Juvia from her curves to her ass, from her toned belly to her ample breasts, rousing the crowd to cheer louder than anything the four heard ever since coming into the club.

The difference between Juvia's outfit and the other two was that the "angels" had obvious bra straps underneath the corsets, crossing their shoulders and clipping the small wings to their backs. Juvia didn't wear wings or had straps underneath her leather corset, signifying that she wasn't wearing anything underneath like the laced spankies…

Karen grabbed one side of the corset and Riko took ahold of the other, and both Gray, Lucy and Erza's eyes widened while Bob nodded with pride.

The grand finale of the routine was of Juvia getting her leather corset ripped in the front, yet the final appearance of her newly exposed skin to the crowd was censored by the sudden shut off of the lights, blackening the three dancers as the weak string flew all around. The crowd screamed in applause, claps, whistles and cheers as more and more money was being thrown onto the stage. The shadows of Juvia, Riko and Karen took a deep bow as the band members climbed onto the dancing stage to collect the cash as quickly as possible. One of the stage members from the back came up and appeared to have brought Juvia something to cover herself as the girls made their way off the stage.

Bora, however, didn't cheer or shout, much less throwing cash onto the stage as he took his drink and swallowed the remaining liquid. Putting the glass down, Bora snapped his fingers as the lights came back on for the club and one of his guards came to his side.

The Fairy Tail members watched carefully as Bora seemed to say something as his guard nodded. The suited man made his way over to the bar and side table, where Bob waited patiently for the guard to come over.

The creepy-looking man eyed the table for a moment, but paid no attention to the raging Gray being held down by Erza. "Sir, Bora-sama would like to reserve time for the blue haired dancer that was just up there," the man told Bob, who perked with a giggle and held his cheeks. "He would like a private room along with the most expensive bottle you have on reserve, and anything else he may request during the time of his stay in the room."

"Of course," Bob cooed sweetly as he reached into the cleavage of his top, pulling out a key with a room number already on the tag. It looked as if Bob was already prepared for this as soon as Juvia came in.

Holding out the key to the guard, Bob bowed his head. "Juvia-chan will already be waiting for Bora-sama, whenever he's ready. He already knows how it all works around here."

The guard nodded and took the key, leaving to return to Bora's table as the waitress and gang leader looked to the new guests. "The bottle is already in Juvia's room, so I will let Jenny take care of you for the rest of your stay. It will take Bora-sama a few minutes to make it to the room, so please be careful on your way!"

=xxx=

Jenny held the door open to a small room that resembled a type of conference office, where Juvia was already sitting on the table. She had on the light sweatshirt again and kept her hair down. Her skin was a bit damp and glowed with little sweat, yet her smile was bright with energy as she waved to her friends.

"Juvia hopes that you were treated well," she said as she picked up a water bottle and screwed the cap off.

"We were. Bob and Jenny were very sweet to us the whole time," Erza smiled and Natsu grinned and patted his belly with a victorious chuckle.

"I'll be outside until Bora arrives," Jenny briefly said before closing the door, after everyone entered the room.

"Juvia-chan, I never knew you could..!" Lucy peeped as she hurried over to the blue haired racer and looked her over. She still had her fishnets on and her hair was a mess, but she didn't look too worn out. "Uh, but you know! Are you feeling okay?"

"Yes, Juvia feels just fine, thank you," she answered with a sweet smile. "Don't worry about Juvia, Lucy-chan, she is what some say a professional."

"Ain't that surprising," Gray grumbled under his breath, but everyone could hear. Erza smacked his head rather harshly and he winced.

Juvia, however, seemed to have ignored him and kept smiling to Lucy. "Juvia would request that you take a seat before Bora-kun arrives, since his guards would most likely want to stand instead of sit."

"Is it okay for us to be in here anyway? Not like I want details of how you and that Bora guy chat, but I wouldn't want us to be a bother." Natsu boredly scratched his cheek, also ignoring how Gray's face became red with rage.

"It will be fine. Bora-kun actually appreciates company of Juvia's."

"Oh, _does_ he now?" Gray drawled and Erza whacked him again. The redheaded woman grabbed him by the scalp and shoved him into a seat farthest away from the other end of the table, where Juvia was.

"One word out of you one more time, and I will have to stain my husband's nice shirt. Don't push it, Gray, because it's not the time," Erza growled deeply, her cheeks a bit tinted from her few drinks but she was still table. "Don't speak unless you're spoken to, got it?"

Natsu snickered when Gray instantly snapped his mouth shut and nodded, knowing that if he answered verbally to, even the slightest bit buzzed Erza, he would surely suffer. Lucy allowed her boyfriend to take her hand and lead her to the side of the table near the wall, over in the corner next to Gray. Erza slumped into the opposite seat of the dark haired man and Juvia smiled.

Without warning, the door opened and a tall man dressed in expensive clothing and stylized dark hair strolled in like he owned the place, similar to Juvia's performance. He had a tattoo of an 'X' above his brow and a million dollar face that told people he was a big deal; even with the four guards who accompanied him into the room and even more suited men outside speaking with Jenny.

Once the last guard closed the door, blocking the outside world, the man's professional demeanor suddenly changed when his sights zeroed in on the blue haired woman.

"_Juvia-chan_!" Bora gasped in delight as he held his arms out to her. Juvia hopped off the table when Bora scurried over and allowed him to pick her up and twirl her around. The man hugged Juvia tightly, like there wasn't anyone else present in the room. Cuddling his cheek against Juvia's, Bora whined like a lost puppy and pouted. "My darling Juvia-chan, how could you make me wait for you for so long, and without a word!"

"Juvia has missed Bora-kun, too," she giggled and pat his back when he snuggled his face into her neck. Gray's brow twitched and a deep rumble of a growl tickled his throat, making the two stop their playful greeting.

Bora tilt his head at the four guests sitting at the end of the table. "Oh? Juvia-chan, where's your brother, huh? I figured he would've wanted the bottle I bought for us…"

"Bora-kun, these are Juvia's close friends. They are the members of a gang Nii-chan and Juvia are friends with," Juvia explained. "They're racers, like Nii-chan and I; That is Natsu-san and Lucy-chan, and they are partners," she explained as she gestured to the couple. Then, pointing to Gray and Erza respectively. "Then, there is Gray-sama and Erza-san!"

"Pleased to make an acquaintance of friends of my darling Juvia-chan," Bora saluted, still haven't put Juvia down to her feet. Instead, he looped his other arm underneath her legs and proceeded to carry her to the other end opposite of the four, taking a seat with Juvia in his lap and kicking his heels up. "Although, I would have probably prefered to have Juvia-chan alone. But I don't deny anyone who escorts Juvia-chan to me, right?"

Natsu shrugged. "I don't know 'bout that, but can we order some entrees in here? I tried the sample platter they have, and I know that those pigs in a blanket is kickass."

"Hah!" Bora bellowed a laugh. "I like them already! Oi, get us some blankets, will ya?" he instructed one of the guards, who nodded and proceeded to crack the door open to summon Jenny's attention.

Erza politely bowed her head to Bora. "I will admit, if it's not too much to say, Master Bora, that I've never knew Juvia was...close to someone of your title."

"Please, just call me Bora. Master sounds too kinky for people I've just met," he winked and held a hand to Juvia's hip. "And don't be _too_ surprised about my darling. Juvia-chan is my most favorite girl in this whole world!"

Noticing Lucy and Gray stare at him, Bora blinked. "What's with the face, huh? What's with droopy eyes other there?" Tilting his head curiously, Bora smirked more naughtily to the blonde, who peeped. "And _you_…"

"_Bora-kun_," Juvia whined and grabbed the man's chin, forcing him to look her way. "Don't bother Lucy-chan like that, she doesn't like that! Save your attention for _Juvia_!"

The man chuckled and nuzzled her, making Gray seeth. "I'm sorry, Juvia-chan. How rude of me to try and flirt with another, especially after you performed for me!

"Speaking of, what is it that you need from me this time?" he asked and the Fairy Tail members blinked.

"Wait, what?" Natsu gawked and Bora smirked.

"As I have said, you should be too surprised about me and Juvia-chan's relationship, remember?" Bora wagged his finger. "If you're here with Juvia-chan, I can assume that you're here to ask something from me.

"You see, Juvia-chan and I have a deal," he explained and tickled under Juvia's chin playfully. "Juvia-chan comes to _Christina_ whenever I am in town when she needs something from me; money, people, parts for cars or jobs with Jose, you name it. Juvia-chan performs for me and I pay her back with whatever she desires!"

"So, that's how it works?" Lucy asked.

"Dear, I am _not_ an easy man to get to," Bora shrugged. "But I make the exception for Juvia-chan, since we have a history together back in the day. She's the _only one_ who is ever allowed to give me a lapdance outside of my own home and ask for whatever she desires. No questions asked from me, especially when she gave me such a lovely service of her dancing."

The man hugged Juvia and rest his cheek against the top of her breasts. "She's my favorite, anyway. I can never say no to this beautiful lady."

"And so you'll help!" Natsu grinned and Bora nodded.

"Whatever my girl wants, she gets."

"That's good to hear, because Juvia knows what she wants this time!" Juvia announced cutely. "Bora-kun, Juvia wants you to organize and fund a race for me and my friends."

Bora blinked. "A race..? Juvia-chan, you know I don't do races as much as you and your brother do."

"Oh, no, this isn't for fun," Juvia shook her head. "You see, Juvia and her friends need to get a group of specific people from a gang who did something awfully rude to Juvia and Nii-chan."

It was when Bora's playfulness changed again to something less sweet and more what his uncle's name lives up to. Juvia lifted her left leg up and Bora held it under her ankle, letting her point to the specific pink skin on her thigh.

"Juvia was targeted by a gang and hurt pretty badly, and since then Juvia and Nii-chan can't go enjoy ourselves in the open without the worry of getting killed," she explained simply, letting Bora inspect through the nets and grow more irritated. "Juvia's friends saved her life and Nii-chan's, too, but we want to get ahold of the people who did this."

Bora's eyes hardened and his voice sounded like venom. "Someone tried to _kill you_?"

"They are difficult to get ahold of outside of races, that's why Juvia wants Bora-kun to fund a race and make sure that they win in your favor. Juvia wants Bora-kun to catch these bad guys for her."

"You want me to skin them alive and let them see what their intestines look like?" Bora growled and Juvia shook her head.

"No, that's what Juvia's friends want to do," Juvia smiled sweetly when he cursed under his breath at the missed opportunity. "They also have a bone to pick with them, besides defending Juvia's honor, of course. We just need someone to get them for us and...hold them until we see fit for them to be released."

Bora looked to the Fairy Tail members with a serious glare. "You have been taking care of my Juvia-chan when she was almost killed?"

"She has been protected by us since Gajeel brought her over after she was attacked," Erza said in response just as sternly. "Juvia is our friend and we want to return the favor those assholes did to them."

"I suppose you are from a separate gang of Phantom Lord." They nodded and Bora rubbed his chin in thought. He closed his eyes with a conclusion smirk. "My alliances are _only_ with Juvia-chan, but I will make the favor doable in thanks for helping them out. I'll make the arrangements and require contact with your boss."

"We can do that!" Natsu answered with a gleeful smile. Lucy and Erza sighed in relief while Gray crossed his arms.

Juvia grinned brightly and hugged Bora, leaning all her weight on him. "You're the best, Bora-kun!"

The door opened and Jenny entered with the tray of food, watched carefully by the guards who took the tray from her and Bora held his hand up before they could tell her to leave. "Bring us everything that's the best seller. Drinks and food alike, will you? And tell Bob I want another couple bottles of the expensive stuff from the big cities of Europe. I'm going to be dining with some new friends tonight."

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=xxx=

AUTHOR'S ENDING NOTE - Not all strip clubs serve food in their establishment. It's normally those really, really expensive strip clubs that have really good health regulations and can manage all sorts of things. I once went to one that served really good dessert but it was hella expensive.

Also! If babehz had a song in mind during Juvia's performance, feel free to pop that up and reread it while the music goes!

Please feel free to Follow, Favorite and Review! I love hearing from all of you guys. Please have a wonderful day!


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